HM Treasury

Working Tax Credit: Denton and Reddish

Andrew Gwynne: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been paid through working tax credits to people in the Denton and Reddish constituency in each year from 2013.

Elizabeth Truss: Information on the amounts paid through working tax credits to people in the Denton and Reddish constituency in each year from 2013 can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Enterprise Investment Scheme

Kit Malthouse: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been collected by HM Revenue and Customs in corporation tax from companies that had previously received Enterprise Investment Scheme tax relief in each of the last 10 years.

Kit Malthouse: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been collected by HM Revenue and Customs in VAT from companies that had previously received Enterprise Investment Scheme tax relief in each of the last 10 years.

Kit Malthouse: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been collected in Pay as You Earn income from companies that had previously received Enterprise Investment Scheme tax relief in each of the last 10 years.

Mel Stride: HMRC estimates that companies which raised funds under the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) between 2006‑07 and 2015‑16 had a Corporation Tax liability of £95 million in 2015‑16, the latest year for which data are available. This cannot be considered to be additional tax generated due to EIS, as it does not take account of the additionality or opportunity cost of investment. The information requested about VAT and PAYE Income Tax is only available at disproportionate cost.

Beer: Excise Duties

Gill Furniss: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the rise in beer duty in the March 2017 Budget (a) on the price of beer for consumers and (b) in tax revenue.

Andrew Jones: The Government published its assessment of the impacts of the alcohol duty changes in the Tax Information and Impact Note, which can be found online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alcohol-duty-rate-changes/alcohol-duty-rate-changes

Apprentices: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much funding the Welsh Government has received from the apprenticeship levy in the first year of its implementation.

Elizabeth Truss: The apprenticeship levy was introduced in April 2017. Given that skills policy is devolved, devolved administrations will receive a population share of the UK-wide revenue from the levy. In 2017-18, the Welsh Government will receive £128 million, meaning they are receiving their fair share of the Levy.

Apprentices: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how the amount allocated to the Welsh Assembly under the apprenticeship levy is calculated.

Elizabeth Truss: The UK government provides the Welsh Government with a population share of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR’s) apprenticeship levy forecast from March 2016. This means the Welsh Government will receive £128m in 2017-18, £133m in 2018-19, and £138m in 2019-20. Beyond 2019-20, once the levy is embedded, the normal operation of the Barnett Formula will continue to provide a population-based share of funding.

Bank Services: Small Businesses

Bill Esterson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 2 November 2017 to Question 109593, what representations he has made to representatatives of the banking sector on the accessibility of full banking services for SMEs when their bank branch closes.

Stephen Barclay: The Government is committed to improving access to financial services. The Access to Banking Standard, launched in May 2017, commits banks to ensure personal and business customers are better informed about branch closures and the reasons for them closing, along with the options they have locally to continue to access banking services, including specialist assistance for customers who need more help. The Access to Banking Standard is monitored and enforced by the independent Lending Standards Board. 95% of banks’ business customers are now able to withdraw cash, deposit cash and cheques, and make balance enquiries at a Post Office counter via its network of 11,600 branches. Government will have provided nearly £2 billion during the period 2011 to 2018 to maintain and modernise the Post Office network.

Apprentices: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much apprenticeship levy funding has been collected in Wales.

Elizabeth Truss: It is not possible to produce meaningful estimates of the amount of levy payments made by employers in specific geographical areas. HMRC have information on where PAYE schemes are registered, though not on the workplaces of the employer. Many large employers will have various workplaces across the UK or outsource their payroll to a payroll provider based in a different location.

Royal Bank of Scotland: Small Businesses

Bill Esterson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he expects the further report of the Financial Conduct Authority on Royal Bank of Scotland's treatment of small and medium-sized enterprises to be published.

Stephen Barclay: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published an interim summary of the independent review of Royal Bank of Scotland’s treatment of small and medium-sized enterprise customers transferred to its Global Restructuring Group. The FCA announced it is investigating the matters arising from the review and focussing on whether there is any basis for it to take further action. It would not be appropriate for the Government to comment further whilst this process is ongoing.

Treasury: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of his Department's spend in the last year has been with Government strategic suppliers.

Andrew Jones: 5% of last year’s Departmental spend (November 2016 to October 2017) with third-party suppliers was with Government strategic suppliers.

Organised Crime: Merseyside

Dan Carden: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department has had with the Home Secretary on police funding to tackle gun crime and serious and organised crime across Merseyside.

Elizabeth Truss: The allocation of police funding between forces is led by the Home Office, and Police and Crime Commissioners are responsible for making decisions about how this funding is used to best address local needs. We have protected overall police spending in real terms. Since 2015 Police and Crime Commissioners will see their budgets maintained at cash levels so long as local council tax precept is maximised.

Tax Avoidance

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his oral contribution of 1 November 2017, Official Report, column 811, on tax avoidance, if he will set out the sources of the £160 billion in additional compliance revenues.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has generated over £160 billion of additional yield since 2010 from tackling avoidance, evasion and non-compliance. Changes to the law designed to change the economics of tax avoidance have generated over £13 billion, whilst the investment we have made into HMRC has contributed to almost £150 billion of revenues from directly tackling avoidance, evasion and non-compliance – money that would have otherwise not been available to fund public services.

Air Passenger Duty

Ian Murray: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the level of awareness among air passengers of the entitlement of a refund of air passenger taxes to the consumer when a passenger does not travel; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: Airlines are liable for air passenger duty with respect to all passengers they carry, when departing from a UK airport. If a passenger does not fly, no tax is due. If the airline has specified the cost of the tax within its pricing, any refunds will be covered by the terms and conditions attached to the sale. Questions about refunds for air passenger duty are a commercial matter between the customer and the airline. We expect all airlines operating in the UK to comply with consumer protection legislation and make their terms and conditions, including their refund policy, clear at point of booking so that passengers are aware of their entitlements.

Revenue and Customs

Stephen Timms: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the HM Revenue and Customs Jointly Managed Engagement Team is the same as the Late, Missing and Incorrect RTI project, referred to in the reply of 26 September 2017 from his Department's Freedom of Information Team, ref Fol 3556, to Mr John Slater; and if he will make a statement.

Mel Stride: The joint initiative between HMRC and DWP referred to as Late, Missing and Incorrect is separate from the Jointly Managed Engagement Team; the two areas do work collaboratively with each other.

Company Accounts

Stephen Timms: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment has been made of the main reasons why employers repeatedly report earnings late; and if he will make a statement.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) identifies and contacts customers who file Real Time Information returns late. This customer insight is being used to build a picture of the underlying reasons for late filing. HMRC is not currently able to provide a full assessment of these reasons.

Small Businesses: Technology

Chi Onwurah: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2017 to Question 106492, on small businesses: technology, how small businesses can use research and development tax credits to support adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies.

Mel Stride: Research and Development (R&D) tax credits are a key element in the government’s objective of a tax system that supports productive investment. They are available for any activity aimed at achieving an advance in overall knowledge or capability in a field of science or technology. To further support Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), the government offers them more generous tax relief compared to large companies. Including the standard 100% corporation tax deduction for R&D spend, R&D tax credits are worth 44% of the cost of R&D for a profit-making SME and 33% for a loss-making one. The government is committed to ensuring SMEs are able to access R&D tax credits. Tailored guidance specifically for SMEs can be found at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/gds/cird/attachments/rdsimpleguide.pdf.

Valuation Office Agency: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department or its executive agencies have had with the Welsh Government on the future of valuation offices in Wales.

Mel Stride: Valuation Office Agency (VOA) officials have regular conversations with Welsh Government officials about how valuation work is carried out in Wales.

Valuation Office Agency: Rhyl

Chris Ruane: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) businesses and (b) people have accessed services at the Rhyl Valuation Office in each of the last five years.

Mel Stride: The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) office in Rhyl is not open to the public to access its services on site. The Rhyl office offers support to businesses and people as part of the VOA's wider telephone and customer service network.

Personal Pensions: Tax Allowances

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the annual savings to the public purse of limiting all personal pension contribution tax relief at the basic rate with contributions remaining unchanged.

Stephen Barclay: An estimate of the cost of limiting all personal pension contribution tax relief at the basic rate is not available. Information on the cost of pensions tax relief is published in the HM Revenue and Custom (HMRC) National Statistics table ‘Registered pension schemes: cost of tax relief’, available on GOV.UK, please find the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/registered-pension-schemes-cost-of-tax-relief Estimates of the number of people making contributions into personal pensions and the value of their contributions by different income levels can be found in Table 3.8 at the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/deductions-and-reliefs-2010-to-2011

Universities

Kerry McCarthy: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many meetings he has had with (a) the University Alliance, (b) the Russell Group, (c) Universities UK and (d) MillionPlus in the last 12 months.

Elizabeth Truss: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 6 November 2017 to Question 110866, on HM Treasury, what types of query prompted the other 332 referrals to the Jointly Managed Engagement Team in September 2017.

Mel Stride: HMRC does not categorise or hold a full breakdown of referrals to the Jointly Managed Engagement Team. The referrals range from queries relating to pay dates, length of employment, pay frequency and employer name, to requests from DWP to support employer education.

Treasury: Staff

Ian C. Lucas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff appointed after 24 June 2016 in his Department hold a post that includes work on the UK leaving the EU.

Andrew Jones: This information is not held. Provision of the information would be at disproportionate cost.

Overseas Aid

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the overseas aid budget in cash terms in the next financial year.

Elizabeth Truss: The government has committed to spend 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) on Official Development Assistance (ODA) in each calendar year. Spend on ODA next year will therefore reflect GNI forecasts published by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) on 22 November. According to the latest available data, UK spend on ODA in 2016 was £13.3 billion.

Valuation Office Agency

Chris Ruane: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average length of time for valuations appeals was in each of the valuation offices marked for closure by 2023 in each of the last five years.

Mel Stride: The information requested is not available. The Valuation Office Agency does not monitor the average length of time for valuations appeals at each valuation office location.

Tax Avoidance: Isle of Man

Catherine West: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with Howard Quayle, Chief Minister of the Isle of Man, on tax refunds to private jet owners.

Mel Stride: My officials in HM Treasury have held regular discussions with the Isle of Man Government on this matter and have been invited to carry out a review of the Isle of Man’s procedures into aircraft importation.

Tax Avoidance

Catherine West: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with Appleby since the release of the Paradise Papers.

Mel Stride: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm.

Tax Avoidance: Isle of Man

Catherine West: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with Howard Quayle, Chief Minister of the Isle of Man, on the implementation of the EU Savings Directive.

Mel Stride: The EU Savings Directive was repealed in 2016. Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm.

Tax Avoidance

Catherine West: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an estimate of the scale of tax avoidance in the (a) overseas territories and (b) Crown Dependencies.

Mel Stride: Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) only estimates tax lost to avoidance within the United Kingdom. HMRC does not estimate tax losses outside its jurisdiction.

Tax Avoidance

Catherine West: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to launch a public inquiry into tax (a) avoidance, (b) evasion and (c) transparency in the Crown Dependencies and UK overseas territories.

Mel Stride: There are no plans to launch a public enquiry. The UK has led the world in tackling tax evasion and avoidance by raising levels of transparency across the globe. The Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories with financial centres are engaged in those global initiatives.

Revenue and Customs: Staff

Chris Stephens: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2017 to Question 110432, on tax evasion, how many staff were employed in the (a) High Net Worth Unit and (b) Affluent Unit in the month proceeding the merger.

Mel Stride: As at 31st March 2017, the teams had approximately 1040 full time equivalent staff engaged in customer compliance activity, of which roughly 522 were employed in the High Net Worth Unit and 518 in the Affluent Unit. Their roles focus on promoting tax compliance and tackling non-compliance amongst the wealthy population, including, where evidence is found, investigating potential tax evasion. The team works closely with Counter Avoidance and the Fraud Investigation Service to ensure HMRC effectively tackle avoidance and evasion within this customer segment. Customer compliance activity as a whole forms the largest part of HMRC by staff numbers.

Multinational Companies: Taxation

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the Government plans to bring into force Schedule 19 of the Finance Act 2016.

Mel Stride: Schedule 19 of the Finance Act 2016 gained Royal Assent on the 15th September 2016. Qualifying businesses are required to publish their tax strategy in financial years commencing after this date.

Tax Avoidance: Disclosure of Information

John McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish a list of the reports commissioned, and the costs of those reports, under section 166 of the Financial Services and Markets Authority Act for each of the last five years.

Stephen Barclay: Both the FCA and the PRA publish information on how often they commission skilled person reviews on a quarterly basis on their websites. The regulators also publish information on the costs of skilled person reviews in their Annual Reports. Skilled person reviews are financed entirely by the financial services firm that is subject to the review. As independent regulators that are entirely financed by the financial services industry, the costs of these reviews are a matter for the FCA and the PRA.

Charities: VAT

Mr Steve Reed: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential financial effect on charities of his Department's Making Tax Digital scheme; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of exempting charities from liability for VAT.

Mel Stride: The Government is firmly committed to helping charities and the voluntary sector and recognizes the important role they play in communities all across the UK. There is a range of generous tax reliefs to the sector worth more than £5bn, including VAT reliefs. Following extensive consultation the Government has announced that for direct tax purposes charities will be exempt from the Making Tax Digital requirements, but that trading subsidiaries of charities will not be. In the interests of parity of treatment across all businesses, where a charity is liable to be registered for VAT and has taxable turnover above the VAT threshold, the Making Tax Digital requirements for VAT will apply.

Prime Minister

Department for International Development: Israel

Richard Burden: To ask the Prime Minister, when she was made aware of meetings in Israel held by the Secretary of State for International Development in August 2017; and what information she has since been given about what was discussed at those meetings.

Richard Burden: To ask the Prime Minister, if she will ask the Cabinet Secretary to investigate the circumstances surrounding meetings held by the Secretary of State for International Development in Israel in August 2017.

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Prime Minister, when she became aware of the Secretary of State for International Development's discussions with Israeli Government Ministers and Officials on potential Government aid to the Israeli Defence Force.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Prime Minister, when she first became aware of the visit to Israel and meetings with Israeli Ministers and officials by the Secretary of State for International Development

Mrs Theresa May: My right hon. Friend the Member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. I refer the hon. Member to the exchange of letters between my right hon. Friend and me on her resignation; and to the statement issued by my right hon. Friend on 6 November, a copy of which is available on the gov.uk website.

Prime Minister: Easington

Grahame Morris: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the Answer of 15 September 2017 to Question 9603, on Prime Ministerial visits, where the requested information has been made publicly available.

Mrs Theresa May: Details of official ministerial visits are published quarterly and made available on the gov.uk website.

USA: Bombardier

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2017 to Question 109011, which Cabinet colleagues she met to discuss Bombardier and its business interests in the US prior to the visit of the Secretary of State for International Trade to the US in July 2017.

Mrs Theresa May: I discuss a range of issues with Ministerial colleagues. It has been the practice of successive Governments not to disclose information relating to internal discussions.

USA: Bombardier

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2017 to Question 109011, which (a) people and (b) organisations she met to discuss Bombardier and its business interests in the US prior to the visit of the Secretary of State for International Trade to the US in July 2017.

Mrs Theresa May: Details of my meetings with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis and are available via the gov.uk website.

Tax Avoidance

Catherine West: To ask the Prime Minister, what discussions she has had with the (a) Chancellor of the Exchequer, (b) Financial Secretary to the Treasury, (c) Foreign Secretary and (d) Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on the Paradise Papers.

Mrs Theresa May: I discuss a range of issues with Ministerial colleagues. It has been the practice of successive Governments not to disclose information relating to internal discussions.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Prime Minister, whether she has received any advice about any potential breach of the ministerial code by the Secretary of State for International Development when she visited Israel in August 2017.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Prime Minister, whether she has instructed the Cabinet Secretary to review the ministerial code.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Prime Minister, whether she plans to strengthen the ministerial code as a result of the conduct of the Secretary of State for International Development in Israel in August 2017.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Prime Minister, why she concluded that the Secretary of State for International Development had not broken the ministerial code following her meetings with members of the Government of Israel.

Mrs Theresa May: My right hon. Friend the Member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November.As my Office has previously announced, I have asked the Cabinet Secretary to look at the Ministerial Code and to make recommendations on how the wording could be clarified in certain areas.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Nic Dakin: To ask the Prime Minister, whether she discussed the Secretary of State for International Development's meetings with Israeli Government Ministers and officials at her meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister on 2 November 2017.

Mrs Theresa May: No.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Children

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that children's benefits change in line with the cost of living.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government is committed to tackling the root causes of child poverty and disadvantage. We know that children living in workless households have significantly poorer outcomes than those in working families.We are incentivising work for those who can and providing support to working families. Since April 2016, the Universal Credit childcare element covers up to 85% of eligible childcare costs, compared with 70% in Working Tax Credit. We introduced 15 hours of free childcare for working families with children aged 3 and 4 and have now doubled this to 30 hours a week in England, worth up to £5,000 per child. The number of children living in workless households is now at its lowest level since comparable records began. Where families face additional costs and barriers to work because of disability and caring responsibilities, we have increased premiums for disabled children in line with inflation.

Poverty: Children

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans the Government has to reduce the number of children living in poverty over the 2017 Parliament.

Caroline Dinenage: Work is key to helping people out of poverty; employment is now at a record high and the number of children living in workless families is down by 608,000 compared with 2010. The Government is committed to action that will make a meaningful difference to the lives of the most disadvantaged children and families. Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families, published on 4 April, set out a framework for a continued focus on improving children’s outcomes, now and in the future.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2017 to Question 108024, whether the Independent Case Examiner's Office plans to increase the number of full-time equivalent staff investigating complaints from women adversely affected by the increase in state pension age.

Caroline Dinenage: At present, the Independent Case Examiner’s Office has no plans to increase the number of full-time equivalent staff investigating complaints from women affected by the increase in state pension age.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints relating to women born in the 1950s and affected by changes in state pension age have been rejected by the Independent Case Examiner's Office.

Caroline Dinenage: The Independent Case Examiner’s Office had, at close of play on 3 November, declined to accept 275 complaints from women born in the 1950’s and affected by changes in the state pension age, on the grounds they had not exhausted the Department for Work and Pensions complaint process.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints relating to women born in the 1950s and affected by changes in state pension age have been fully reviewed by the Independent Case Examiner's Office.

Caroline Dinenage: As at 3 November 2017, the Independent Case Examiner Office had fully reviewed and concluded six investigations into complaints from women born in the 1950s and affected by changes in the state pension retirement age.

Poverty: Children

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the rate of child poverty has been in each year from 2010 to 2017; and what the rate of child poverty is forecast to be in each year from 2018 to 2020.

Caroline Dinenage: Estimates of the child poverty rate since 2010 are published annually in Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data tables. These are publicly available in the link shown (see file “4_children_trends.ods” and tabs 4.1tr and 4.2tr).https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/599136/hbai-2015-2016-supporting-ods-files.zip We do not forecast rates of low income. Statistics on the proportion and number of children living in households in low income in 2016/17 have been pre-announced and will be published in the Households Below Average Income release by the end of March 2018. The government is committed to continue publishing this series on an annual basis.

Department for Work and Pensions: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of his Department's spend in the last year has been with Government strategic suppliers.

Caroline Dinenage: I can confirm that of £3,006,154,075 Commercial spend in 2016/17, 76.2% was with Strategic Suppliers. Please note that DWP uses a cross government Supplier segmentation tool to assess Strategic importance and this determines DWP Strategic suppliers.

Personal Independence Payment

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate his Department has made of the average time taken to process a personal independence payment application.

Sarah Newton: The latest available data on the average clearance time (end to end decision) taken to process a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claim from registration to DWP decision can be found in table 5A for normal rule claims and table 5B for Special Rules for the Terminally ill claims in the file “Data Tables: Personal Independence Payment: Official Statistics to July 2017” at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-independence-payment-april-2013-to-july-2017

Personal Independence Payment: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of incorrectly filled out personal independence payment applications by assessors in Wales.

Sarah Newton: Assessors do not fill out Personal Independent Payment applications therefore we are interpreting this to mean incorrectly filled out Personal Independent Payment assessment reports.   The Department has set standards for the quality of assessments that both Personal Independence Payment providers must meet, which the Department monitors. The standards require assessment providers to provide the Department’s Case Managers with an assessment that is clear and medically reasonable. We are continually working with the assessment providers to further improve the quality of assessments including clinical coaching, feedback and support available to each assessor.

Universal Credit

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 30 March 2017 to Question 69316, on universal credit, what plans he has to ensure that the children of people who are not incentivised to work by universal credit do not live in poverty.

Damian Hinds: Universal Credit incentivises work for everybody. Work is the best route out of poverty, and Universal Credit supports parents to move into and progress in work, and raises the income of families.

Personal Independence Payment: Motor Neurone Disease

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with motor neurone disease who have been awarded the enhanced rate for the care and mobility components of personal independence payments have been subject to a reassessment; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of attempted online claims for universal credit have been timed out in each of the last 12 months.

Damian Hinds: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Personal Independence Payment: North West Durham

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in North West Durham constituency who previously qualified for disability living allowance have not been awarded personal independence payments following an assessment by the Independent Assessment Services.

Sarah Newton: DWP case managers make decisions on all claims based on the PIP2 questionnaire completed by the claimant, any additional evidence they have submitted, the report from the assessment provider and any additional information the assessment provider has requested, for example information from the claimant’s GP. Up to 31 July 2017, 2,020 claimants in North West Durham constituency underwent a Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) reassessment with Independent Assessment Services (IAS), previously known as Atos. Of these claimants, 1,640 were awarded PIP and 380 were disallowed PIP. Source: PIP Computer System claimant records. Notes:1. The figure above is the outcome of the first DWP decision on each reassessment claim (i.e. prior to any reconsideration, appeal action and award review), where that decision was a disallowance after the claimant underwent an assessment by Independent Assessment Services (previously known as Atos).2. Figures include decisions made between 8 April 2013 and 31 July 2017.3. Figures include reassessment outcomes for individuals who were aged between 16 and 64 on 8 April 2013, and include both PIP Normal Rules and Special Rules for the Terminally Ill claims.3. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.4. Great Britain only.

Universal Credit

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether people who agree voluntarily to move from existing benefits to universal credit forego the right to any transitional protection against a loss of income.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has set targets for increasing the number of existing benefit claimants who are voluntarily moved to universal credit ahead of the planned date for their migration.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been asked voluntarily to move from receiving existing benefits to universal credit in advance of their planned migration in (a) Newcastle upon Tyne, (b) the North East and (c) England in the last 12 months.

Damian Hinds: The Department does not ask anyone to move voluntarily to universal credit and there are no targets for people to do so. Jobcentre staff engage ahead of and once Universal Credit Full Service has gone live to explain the changes and help our customers prepare, in case they should have a change in their circumstances requiring them to claim Universal Credit.

Personal Independence Payment: Terminal Illnesses

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many personal independence payment (PIP) claimants with terminal illnesses and life-shortening diseases (a) were declared ineligible for PIP following assessment (b) appealed that decision successfully at tribunal.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The Department records a claimant’s main disability but does not record whether this disability is or is not life-shortening. The latest available data on the number of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claims cleared by type (e.g. awarded, disallowed or withdrawn), split by normal rules and special rules for the terminally ill and by primary disabling condition can be found in Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/. Stat Xplore shows that over 99% of PIP claims made under special rules for the terminally ill are awarded PIP, excluding withdrawn claims. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html.

Personal Independence Payment: Complaints

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the personal independence payment process complaints system.

Sarah Newton: PIP complaints are handled as part of the overall Departmental Two Tier complaints process and are not specifically differentiated. The complaints process is kept under constant review to ensure a consistent service to our customers.

Personal Independence Payment: North West Durham

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many former claimants of disability living allowance in North West Durham constituency who have been unsuccessful in their claim for personal independence payments have been waiting more than (a) six weeks, (b) three months and (c) six months for their appeal to be heard.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: North West Durham

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of decisions on employment and support allowance and personal independence payments were overturned in North West Durham constituency on (a) mandatory reconsideration and (b) appeal in each year since 2010.

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of assessments for (a) employment and support allowance and (b) personal independence payments went to appeal in North West Durham constituency in each year since 2010.

Sarah Newton: The table below shows the proportion of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) decisions where the award was changed at mandatory reconsideration, where the award was changed at appeal and the proportion that went to appeal, by year of decision since the introduction of PIP in the Parliamentary Constituency of North West Durham. Proportion of PIP decisions where the award was changed at mandatory reconsideration/appeal, and the proportion that went to appeal, by financial year of decision. Financial year of initial PIP decisionProportion of PIP decisions that had award changed at mandatory reconsideration (111675 part (a))Proportion of PIP decisions that had award changed at appeal (111675 part (b))Proportion of PIP decisions that went to appeal (111677 part (b))2013/143%0%2%2014/152%3%5%2015/163%4%8%2016/174%3%6%Apr'17 to Jul'175%1%1% Latest available data to July 2017 The information for Employment Support Allowance (ESA) is not readily available and can only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Department for Work and Pensions: Nurseries

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what childcare facilities his Department makes available for its staff; how much his Department spent (a) overall and (b) per child on those facilities in the last 12 months; and how many of his Department's staff use those facilities.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) does not provide childcare facilities for its staff. DWP offers a childcare voucher salary sacrifice scheme which allows employees to vary their contract of employment to give up part of their salary in return for vouchers. They then use these vouchers to pay for their own childcare. Employees can sacrifice any amount from £1 up to £243 a month dependent on tax rate. Currently the scheme has 1722 users.

Personal Independence Payment

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written Statement of 2 November 2017, HCWS218, on social security, how many previously unsuccessful personal independence payment (PIP) claimants are now eligible for PIP under the updated PIP assessment guidelines.

Sarah Newton: The Department estimates that approximately 10,000 claimants will benefit from this change in 2022/23. However, the Department cannot reliably apply this methodology retrospectively to past disallowances.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 2 November 2017, on social security, HCWS218, whether his Department plans to undertake a full review of the Personal Independence Payments (PIP) Assessment Guide to take account of all relevant Upper Tribunal rulings relating to PIP.

Sarah Newton: The Department regularly reviews and updates the Personal Independence Payment Assessment Guide to ensure the guidance reflects case law resulting from relevant Upper Tribunal rulings alongside other legislative and policy changes. The Department has no plans to undertake an additional review.

Universal Credit: Camberwell and Peckham

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people living in Camberwell and Peckham constituency have experienced a delay in receiving their universal credit payment in each of the last 12 years.

Damian Hinds: There is no data broken down by area or region. However, data published on 2 October 2017 shows that, nationally, 81% of new full service claims received their first payment in full and on time. Across the whole of Universal Credit 92% of all households received full payment on time, and 96% of Universal Credit claims received some payment on time. The published data can be found here.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/universal-credit-payment-timeliness-january-to-june-2017

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 6 November 20174 to Question 110900, whether the information passed to local authorities and housing associations relates specifically to new universal credit claims.

Damian Hinds: In Universal Credit, information is shared with Local Authorities at the start of a new claim, whenever there is a relevant change of circumstance and throughout the life of a claim for the purposes of local council tax reduction. Data sharing to support claims to Local Council Tax Reduction schemes is on-going whilst there is an existing claim in the local authority.

Sahaviriya Steel Industries UK: Redundancy

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to track the employment status of former employees of Sahaviriya Steel Industries UK to complete its study into the former employees of that organisation.

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, by what date his Department plans to complete its longitudinal study into former employees of Sahaviriya Steel Industries UK; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Hinds: DWP has been working to identify; quality assure; integrate and securely store and handle data on former Sahaviriya Steel Industries (SSI) UK employees and workers in its supply chain. Our analysis combines data from the official receiver; local tracking data from the SSI taskforce; DWP/HMRC administrative data; and published ONS data. We expect to share our analysis with the SSI Task Force and publish it after quality assurance is complete in 2018.

Universal Credit: Camberwell and Peckham

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Camberwell and Peckham constituency are in receipt of universal credit.

Damian Hinds: The information requested is available as part of the Universal Credit official statistics on households and can be found at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.ukGuidance for users is available at:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

Universal Credit

Mr Simon Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2017 to Question HL2020, on universal credit, whether an assessment has been made on the effect of the roll-out of universal credit on the number of jobs available for people in each parliamentary constituency; and if he will make an assessment of the effect of the roll-out of universal credit on the number of jobs available for people in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency.

Damian Hinds: In total, it is estimated that Universal Credit will help around 250,000 people move into employment. We have not modelled the effect of Universal Credit at constituency level. On average, it works out at around 400 extra people in work in each parliamentary constituency, but UC will have a larger impact in areas with higher proportions of benefit claimants or a higher prevalence of single parents and out-of-work families.

Children: Maintenance

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much the Government has received in charges levied by the Child Maintenance Service in the latest period for which figures are available.

Caroline Dinenage: The income from Child Maintenance fees and charges for 2016/17 was £14.568m. This is published in the 2016/17 DWP annual report and accounts. Charges only generate a tiny amount of the overall cost of running the CMS, which remains heavily funded by the taxpayer.

Home Office

British Nationality: Assessments

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applicants (a) took and (b) failed the Life in the UK test in each year since its introduction.

Brandon Lewis: This information is published quarterly here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data On the tab: Temporary and Permanent Migration Data In summary:Calendar YearTotal Tests TakenTotal Tests Failed20057,3982,1492006155,87950,4762007308,12693,4212008248,93470,1092009198,65650,8202010183,56248,9192011179,84941,2052012151,03622,3272013152,45735,3322014165,73864,7802015174,92368,3932016133,49047,3122017 *65,94621,563* 2017 up to 30 June in line with published data.

Home Office: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of her Department's spend in the last year has been with Government strategic suppliers.

Victoria Atkins: During FY1617, Home Office spent 27.7% of its total third party spend with Government strategic suppliers.

Registration of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will amend legislation on births, deaths and marriages to remove the requirement to register DNA of a deceased father on a birth certificate where paternity is not contested.

Brandon Lewis: The existing legislation contains a number of protections to ensure legal records for births are maintained accurately and, in the case of deceased unmarried fathers, these include a requirement to obtain a court declaration of parentage. There are no current plans to amend the legislation.

Refugees: Children

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce dangerous journeys for unaccompanied child refugees with family in the UK.

Brandon Lewis: The Government strongly supports the principle of family unity, and we have a comprehensive framework in place for refugees and their families to be safely reunited in the UK without the need for dangerous journeys.Our family reunion policy allows children to join their refugee parents, and there are also specific provisions in the Immigration Rules that allow extended family members lawfully resident in the UK to sponsor unaccompanied children where there are serious and compelling circumstances.We have reunited over 24,000 partners and children with their families under our family reunion policy in the last five years. Further, those children recognised by UNHCR as refugees can join close family members in the UK through our Mandate resettlement scheme.

Refugees: Children

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how her Department manages the Dubs scheme for child refugees; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to use data on identities and current whereabouts gathered from children in the Jungle refugee camp in Calais before its demolition; and if she will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: In March, the Government published the basis upon which further referrals under section 67 will be made: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/policy-statement-section-67-of-the-immigration-act-2016. We remain committed to transferring unaccompanied children from Europe under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 up to the specified number of 480. We are working closely with Member States, as well as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and NGO partners to identify and transfer children to the UK in line with each individual Member State’s national laws. If it is determined that transfer to the UK is in the child’s best interests, a referral will be made under the National Transfer Scheme for a placement with a local authority in the UK. Transfers are ongoing.However, the primary responsibility for unaccompanied children in France lies with the French government. As I set out in the Backbench Business debate of 2 November, the French authorities have in recent weeks established additional welcome centres to those already in place across the country. Four new centres have recently opened, away from the juxtaposed ports, where those wishing to claim asylum will be supported through the asylum process. There is regular transportation provided to these centres. It is vital that children claim asylum in France; that is the fastest route to safety.According to Eurostat data, 63,300 unaccompanied children claimed asylum in the EU in 2016:http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/8016696/3-11052017-AP-EN.pdf/30ca2206-0db9-4076-a681-e069a4bc5290

Interpol

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what voluntary financial contributions the Government has made to support the work of Interpol in each financial year since 2010-11.

Brandon Lewis: INTERPOL’s accounts are operated on a calendar basis, from January to December. The UK’s annual subscription to INTERPOL was as follows:2011 - 3,265,552 euros - £2.716m2012 - 3,326,552 euros - £2.767m2013 - 3,351,594 euros - £2.869m2014 - 3,377,365 euros - £2.827m2015 - 3,316,356 euros - £2.655m2016 - 3,184,398 euros - £2.229m2017 - 3,143,558 euros - £2.669m The annual subscription is voluntary in that it is not set out in UK law.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what evidence EU citizens not yet able to establish the five years' continuous residence necessary to obtain settled status but who were resident before the specified date will have to provide to ensure that they will be given temporary status.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office will set out in due course what evidence may be provided. We are committed to creating a streamlined and user-friendly applications system using existing government data to minimise the burden of documentary evidence required.

Immigration: Biometrics

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who already have indefinite leave to remain have had to apply to have their biometric resident permit card corrected due to an error on their documentation in England in each year since 2010.

Brandon Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Refugees

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of (a) stateless people resident in the UK and (b) applications her Department has received for leave to remain from a stateless person in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: I am sorry but we do not hold the data required to answer the question in the requested format.The Home Office regularly shares information with UNHCR, relating to stateless applications and decisions made. The information provided is published by UNHCR, in regular trend reports, the latest published report by UNHCR on mid year trends June 2016 can be found at link below:http://www.unhcr.org/uk/statistics/unhcrstats/58aa8f247/mid-year-trends-june-2016.html

Immigration: Biometrics

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average waiting time for people in England with indefinite leave to remain was to receive their returned corrected biometric documentation in each year since 2010.

Brandon Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Brexit

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's preparations for the UK leaving the EU with (a) an agreement on future partnership and (b) no agreement with the EU; and if he will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The role of the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) is to ensure the smooth working of the political settlement in Northern Ireland. It represents Northern Ireland interests within the UK Government and represents the UK government interests and policy in Northern Ireland. Accordingly, responsibility for relevant policies including border, customs and immigration is held by other Whitehall Government Departments and the Northern Ireland Executive rather than by NIO. My officials however are working with officials across government, in close coordination with the Department for Exiting the European Union, to ensure that appropriate preparations have been made and plans are in place for all scenarios. The UK Government is determined to make a success of Exit for the whole of the UK, including Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland Office: Nurseries

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what childcare facilities his Department makes available for its staff; how much his Department spent (a) overall and (b) per child on those facilities in the last 12 months; and how many of his Department's staff use those facilities.

Chloe Smith: My Department does not provide childcare facilities for staff. London based staff have access to a holiday playscheme run by HM Treasury and eligible staff can use the Parliament nursery at Westminster. My department has not made any contribution to the holiday playscheme in the last 12 months. In addition, staff are also entitled to avail of a salary sacrifice childcare voucher scheme administered by the Ministry of Justice, under whose terms and conditions the staff in my department are employed.

Blood: Contamination

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the development of the Northern Irish ex-gratia support scheme for people affected by the contaminated blood scandal.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what representations he has received from the (a) Regional Business Services Organisation, (b) former North Irish Executive and (c) Northern Irish political, parties on the (i) inquiry into the contaminated blood scandal and (ii) ex-gratia support for people so affected by that scandal.

James Brokenshire: The design and implementation of the scheme to support those affected by the issues caused by the contaminated blood scandal in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter. It is therefore not appropriate for me to make any assessment or judgment as to the approach taken, though I understand that, in December 2016, the Northern Ireland Health Minister at the time announced increased financial support for people affected by contaminated blood prior to September 1991. As to the public inquiry announced in July, I and my officials have remained in close contact with Government colleagues to facilitate discussions with the Northern Ireland Civil Service and with key stakeholders on the subject. Most importantly I know that those affected in Northern Ireland were made aware of the process, in particular the extension to the period of consultation to 18 October. More than 800 written responses across the United Kingdom were received and will be analysed thoroughly by the Cabinet Office, to whom responsibility for setting up the independent inquiry has transferred from the Department of Health. As my Rt Honourable Friend the First Secretary of State made clear in his written statement on 3 November, this process will be taken forward as a full statutory public inquiry, created under the 2005 Inquiries Act, and a further announcement will follow before the end of the year on the next steps.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Broadband: Universal Service Obligation

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if the Government will publish the full description of BT's voluntary offer to deliver the Universal Service Obligation for broadband, the Government's response to that offer and the timetable for the release of those publications.

Matt Hancock: On 6 October, Openreach published details of the key elements of the offer which are available here (https://www.openreach.co.uk/orpg/home/updates/downloads/Deliveringuniversalbroadbandcoverage.pdf) . The Department is currently considering two approaches for delivering universal broadband - a regulatory USO and BT's voluntary proposal. A decision will be made in due course on which approach to follow.

Local Press

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2017 to Question 109291, if she will collect information on the number of local newspapers across the UK.

Matt Hancock: We are committed to ensuring there are sustainable business models for high quality news media as set out in the manifesto, and this includes the local and regional press. In particular, government recognises that local and regional news outlets have been hit by falling print circulations and the shift of advertising online.We have been holding meetings with industry representatives to explore these issues which form one aspect of the work underway to develop the Digital Charter.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of her Department's spend in the last year has been with Government strategic suppliers.

Matt Hancock: In 2016-17, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport spent 17.6% of its procurement with the Government strategic suppliers.

Archives: Public Interest

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what definition her Department uses for the phrase archiving in the public interest.

Matt Hancock: We recognise the importance of the permanent preservation of archives for long-term public benefit by museums, galleries, archives and libraries. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Bill permit such organisations to process personal data (including sensitive personal data) without consent, where necessary for “archiving purposes in the public interest”, subject to appropriate safeguards for the rights and freedoms of data subjects. It also exempts archiving services from complying with certain rights of data subjects (for example, rights to access, rectify or erase their data), where the exercise of such rights would seriously impair or prevent them from fulfilling their objectives. ‘Archiving in the public interest’ is a new term in data protection law. The Data Protection Act 1998 made no express reference to it and it is not defined in the GDPR, but Recital 158 to the GDPR may help to understand it. It says: “Public authorities or public or private bodies that hold records of public interest should be services which, pursuant to Union or Member State law, have a legal obligation to acquire, preserve, appraise, arrange, describe, communicate, promote, disseminate and provide access to records of enduring public value for general public interest.” This is likely to apply to a wide variety of community, private, public sector, charitable/trust and voluntary sector archives. It could also include archives that may be closed to researchers at the present time, but which would become accessible at some future date, and archives which are held in analogue or digital format. The definition would not, however, cover organisations which gather and use data, information and records purely for their own commercial gain or that have no enduring public value. We recognise that concerns have been raised about the reference in the Recital to archiving organisations being under a ‘legal obligation’ to archive. While this may reflect the archival system in some other EU member states, it does not reflect the position in the UK. Many smaller archives, particularly in the private sector, are unlikely to have any statutory obligations to archive. We do not think the best approach is to create new statutory duties requiring organisations to archive. This could force organisations to archive that had no intention or means of doing so. Instead, we want to reassure bona fide archiving services that they will be able to continue to process personal data for the purposes of archiving in the public interest, regardless of whether they have a statutory obligation to do so. The reasons for this are: Recitals act as explanatory notes to European regulations and have no direct legal effect. They may be taken into account by regulators and the courts when interpreting and applying the law, but they are not the law.In any event Recital 158 should be read in conjunction with Recital 41 which says that “where this regulation refers to a legal basis or legislative measure, this does not necessarily require a legislative act adopted by a parliament”, providing that such a legal basis is clear and precise and its application is foreseeable to persons subject to it.In the UK, most archives operate on a permissive basis under the general provisions of common law or statutory permissive powers, such as the British Library Act 1972 or the Local Government (Records) Act 1962. It may be open to organisations to rely on such a basis to satisfy the requirements of Recital 158.Where there are no clear permissive powers, organisations may still be able to point to funding agreements, management agreements or constitutional documents which set out the purposes of the archive, particularly if the failure to adhere to such purposes could have legal or quasi-legal effects, for example for a body’s charitable status. Although this may not amount to a statutory obligation to archive, it would give organisations a legal basis upon which to rely.Up until now, organisations responsible for archiving may have relied on exemptions from subject access rights under the ‘historical research’ provisions in section 33 of the Data Protection Act 1998. These provisions will continue in the new Data Protection Bill, and have not been abolished by GDPR. Most of the exemptions from data subjects’ rights in relation to archiving also exist in relation to historical research. If archiving services cannot confidently rely on the exemptions for archiving in the public interest, they may be able to rely on exemptions for historical research as an alternative. We recognise that there is some debate about this point within the sector because some archives may not exist for historical research purposes. In that case, a legal basis for archiving will be needed, but it does not need to be statutory.

Public Libraries

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has to reintroduce public library standards.

John Glen: The Government does not intend to reintroduce defined Public Library Service Standards (PLSS), which were were withdrawn along with other government imposed performance targets in a move towards increased local autonomy. In September 2017, the Libraries Taskforce made available a new sector-led benchmarking framework for library services in England, developed with the Local Government Association, to enable library services to self-assess, develop and improve.

Libraries: Social Mobility

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the importance of libraries to social mobility.

John Glen: Libraries play an important role in giving everyone opportunities to improve their life chances and achieve their full potential. In recognition of this, the Government funds the Libraries Taskforce to deliver its 2016 strategy Libraries Deliver. DCMS is also investing £3.9 million in the Libraries: Opportunities for Everyone fund to support innovative library service activity in 2017/18 to benefit disadvantaged people and places in England.

Libraries: Closures

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effect of library closures on local communities.

John Glen: Local authorities in England have a statutory duty under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service. It is therefore for each local authority to determine how best to provide a public library service that meets local needs and within available resources. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport monitors developments relating to proposed changes to library services in England. The Government is working with the Libraries Taskforce to promote good practice and innovation to assist library services and enable them to be sustainable for the long term.

Biometrics: Databases

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 October 2017 to Question 109028, on biometrics: databases, how many organisations have been found to be in breach of the regulations referred to.

Matt Hancock: The information requested is not held by the Department.

Science

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 September 2017 to Question 9915, on Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: science, which working groups with relevant industry and academic experts are currently in operation.

Matt Hancock: The information requested is not centrally held.

Mass Media: Internet

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has commissioned research on the prevalence of so-called fake news across social media and other internet platforms.

Matt Hancock: The department has not commissioned research on the prevalence of fake news across social media and other platforms. However as part of our Digital Charter we are looking at the role that such platforms play in the news environment.

Broadband

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the contribution of access to superfast broadband services to trends in national productivity; and if she will make a statement.

Matt Hancock: The Department released The UK Broadband Impact Study in 2013 which made an assessment of the impacts of faster broadband including the economic impacts. The study can be accessed on the Department’s website (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-broadband-impact-study--2). The Department will be producing a new impact study in 2018, which will include economic impacts.

Data Protection

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the cost to it of implementing additional measures to meet General Data Protection Regulation standards; and if she will make a statement.

Matt Hancock: DCMS has established an implementation plan for the General Data Protection Regulation and is in a good position to be fully compliant by 25 May 2018.

Telecommunications

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the average household spend on (a) internet, (b) landline and (c) mobile telephone contracts in each of the last seven years.

Matt Hancock: Ofcom, as the UK’s independent communications regulator, has conducted research into average household spending by consumers on communication services. Ofcom’s “Pricing trends for communications services in the UK” report of 15 March 2017, provides information covering the period between 2005 and 2015 and further details can be found on page 11 at: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/multi-sector-research/general-communications/pricing

Visas: Arts

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on changes to the short-term visa system to help support the needs of the creative industries.

Matt Hancock: The Creative Industries are one of the UK’s greatest success stories, contributing over £87 billion to the economy and nearly £20 billion in exports. Ministers from the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport have regular meetings with their ministerial colleagues on a range of issues, and have and will continue to ensure the needs and concerns of the creative industries are raised.

Public Libraries: Staff

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effect of trends in the number of paid library staff on the quality of library services provided.

John Glen: We have made no such assessment.

Arts: Apprentices

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with representatives of the creative industries sector on the effect of the apprenticeship levy on that sector.

Matt Hancock: Ministers and officials from the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport have regular discussions with Creative industries representatives on a range of topics, including the Apprenticeship Levy. As co-chair of the Creative Industries Council, the Secretary of State for DCMS is regularly informed by the industry of current issues and concerns faced by the sector, including those related to skills and training.

Social Enterprises: EU Grants and Loans

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure that the proposed UK shared prosperity fund will be open to bids from charity and voluntary organisations with a focus on social and community development.

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she has taken to ensure that third sector organisations operating projects currently funded by the EU are able to bid for funding from the proposed UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Tracey Crouch: Government is continuing to assess the impact of leaving the EU on civil society organisations and to offer support, which includes exploring the role of civil society in future funding programmes. Officials in my department are working with colleagues across government to inform plans for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The government will consult widely on the design of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Dormant Assets Commission

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of using dormant assets, as identified by the Dormant Assets Commission, to help put charities on a more sustainable financial footing.

Tracey Crouch: The independent Dormant Assets Commission reported to Government on the feasibility of expanding the current dormant assets scheme to include a wider range of dormant financial assets in March 2017. The Government is still considering the Commission’s report and will publish its response in due course. The existing dormant assets scheme is being used to help put charities and social enterprises on a more sustainable footing. More than £300m of dormant assets funding has been used to capitalise Big Society Capital, the world’s first social investment wholesaler. Alongside co-investors, Big Society Capital has made more than £1bn of social investment available to charities and social enterprises, helping them to create greater impact, diversify their business models and become more sustainable in the long-term.

Data Protection: Small Businesses

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what support her Department is providing for small and medium-sized enterprises to prepare for the implementation of the (a) Data Protection Bill and (b) General Data Protection  Regulation.

Matt Hancock: The Government and the Information Commissioner recognise the challenges facing SMEs in their preparations for the Data Protection Bill and GDPR. There are already resources on the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) website (ico.org.uk) to help organisations employing fewer than 250 people prepare for the data protection regime. This month the ICO has launched a dedicated helpline service for SMEs and has updated its SME toolkit to reflect the requirements of GDPR. The ICO will also be simplifying its "12-step" GDPR preparation guidance in response to requests from SMEs and will continue to develop further guidance on both the Bill and GDPR.

Department of Health

NHS: Computer Software

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2017 to Question 110492, on NHS: computer software, what that £21 million will be spent on and over what period of time.

Jackie Doyle-Price: £21 million of capital funding will be allocated to major trauma centres and ambulance trusts by the end of December 2017. The funding supports those organisations to make required information technology investments that: - Secure their network by upgrading firewalls;- Improve network resilience and segmentation to minimise risk to medical devices;- Improve device security by replacing obsolete PCs and the introduction of tools to support the automation of patch management; and- Improve anti-virus protection.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many penalty charges have been issued in respect of wrongly claiming NHS prescriptions in each of the last 36 months; and what proportion of those fined were in receipt of universal credit.

Steve Brine: The table below shows the number of penalty charge notices (PCNs) issued over the past 36 months. It is not possible to show what proportion of those penalty charges notices were issued to people in receipt of Universal Credit as this data is not held. MonthTotal PCNs IssuedOctober-20145,317November-20148,262December-201419,953January-201539,532February-201544,800March-201523,540April-20156,564May-201519,569June-201523,814July-201518,416August-201524,293September-201547,586October-201555,092November-201568,188December-201537,084January-201675,719February-201676,226March-201660,032April-201653,376May-201669,803June-201667,738July-201673,673August-201668,583September-201672,449October-2016104,274November-201694,757December-201647,742January-201795,877February-2017111,030March-2017115,772April-201760,031May-201788,152June-201771,318July-201779,131August-201790,697September-201780,320Total2,098,710

Genito-urinary Medicine: Greater London

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions Public Health England has had on the London Sexual Health Transformation Programme; with which parties those discussions have taken place; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the delay in the launch of the London sexually transmitted infection testing services on (a) patient access to sexually transmitted infection testing in London and (b) London council's public health budgets.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment has been made of the effect on testing rates for sexually transmitted infections of the London Sexual Health Transformation Programme; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: Public Health England (PHE) has provided specialist advice to the London Sexual Health Transformation Programme on a range of topics, including: best practice, behavioural change approaches, evaluation and the development of service standards. Discussions continue at officer level to support this collaborative approach to commissioning and evaluate its impact. The Health and Social Care Act 2012 set out local authorities responsibilities for commissioning open access sexual health services in their area. Decisions about the exact configuration and location of services are therefore taken by London boroughs to best meet their residents’ needs. In collaborating through the London Sexual Health Transformation Programme boroughs aim to respond in innovative ways to increasing demand for services and to meet population needs. Participating boroughs have recognised the need for change and are committed to open access services that also reflect changing demand for testing. Collaboration by commissioners offers an efficient and effective way forward for ensuring high quality sexual health services. Phased implementation of an on-line e-service through which testing can be sought has been commissioned for London boroughs by the Programme. This is expected to commence from January 2018. Ahead of this date, interim arrangements for physical or online service delivery are being put in place locally as needed. Any potential impact on local public health budgets arising from this timetable of implementation will vary depending on local needs and arrangements. PHE has committed to supporting the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the Transformation Programme as it is implemented.

Dental Health

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the implications for his Department's policies are of the report by the Nuffield Trust and the Health Foundation on the consistent gap between the dental health of the rich and poor.

Steve Brine: We are looking carefully at the findings of this report. Improving the oral health of children and reducing inequalities is already a priority for this Government. Public Health England continues to lead a wide ranging programme to improve children’s oral health which includes dietary factors such as sugar as well as promoting better oral hygiene and dental attendance. NHS England’s Starting Well Programme will focus on increasing attendance in the under five year olds in 13 high needs areas. It will include outreach work in settings such as nurseries and pre- schools to raise awareness of the need for early dental attendance.

Mental Health Services: Staff

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department will take to monitor and publicise progress towards adding 21,000 posts and 19,000 additional mental health staff by 2020.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Health Education England (HEE), in partnership with NHS England and NHS Improvement, is actively working on the developing a dashboard for mental health which will include workforce supply to monitor progress on the delivery of the commitment for 21,000 posts and 19,000 new staff. The dashboard will be used to monitor progress at the Mental Health and Dementia Programme Board (chaired by Senior Representation Officer) which is scheduled for 1 February 2018. HEE has established a monthly Mental Health Workforce Delivery Group, membership of which includes arm’s length bodies, the Department and the Cabinet Office Improvement Unit and this group will oversee the development of this work.

Department of Health: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of his Department's spend in the last year has been with Government strategic suppliers.

Mr Philip Dunne: Expenditure on Government strategic suppliers by the core Department for services in financial year 2016-17 was £91,518,220. As a proportion of the core Department’s total expenditure for 2016-17 of £4.357 billion, this is 2.1%.

Influenza: Vaccination

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the availability of the children's influenza vaccine; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The National Health Service vaccination programme currently offers the flu vaccination to children aged two to eight years old.There is currently a good supply of influenza vaccine for those children who are eligible as part of the national programme. Immunisation appointments are organised locally by general practices or school immunisation teams.

Genito-urinary Medicine: Greater London

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when in the last 12 months he has received representations on the London Sexual Health Transformation Programme from (a) MPs and (b) other interested parties; what the content of those representations was; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The Department has received one representation from a hon. Member on behalf of a constituent about the London Sexual Health Transformation Programme and its impact on services in their local area. In addition, the National AIDS Trust made representations about this issue in a meeting with me on 17 October.

General Practitioners: Training Grants

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons the contract to administer training grants for GPs through Primary Care Services England was outsourced in September 2015.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on how many occasions GP trainees have not been paid by the firm Capita since September 2015: how many GP trainees have been affected by such non-payment; and what the amount is that has not yet been paid.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many meetings he or Ministers of his Department have held with Capita in the last three years; and what was discussed at each such meeting.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to reimburse GP trainees who have not been paid by Capita since September 2015.

Steve Brine: The reimbursement of trainer’s grants is linked with the administration of general practitioner (GP) payments. This is a service which is managed, on behalf of NHS England, by Primary Care Support England (PCSE). Historically, primary care support services were highly varied, localised and delivered using unsustainable technology. NHS England were seeking, through this procurement, to create a consistent high quality service across England, that modernised the way services were accessed and provided, making use of newer technology wherever possible. GP registrars are employed, and therefore paid, either by a lead employer or directly by a training GP practice. In the case of those directly employed by a training GP practice, PCSE is only responsible for reimbursing the salary and trainer’s grant to the GP practice. PCSE is also responsible for reimbursing the trainer’s grant in some lead employer areas. PCSE do not pay the GP trainee. As a consequence there have been no occasions of GP trainees not being paid by Capita since September 2015. The former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Public Health and Innovation (Nicola Blackwood) had meetings with Capita on the dates listed below. These were discussions on Capita’s performance under the Primary Care Support Services contract.- 18 October 2016- 1 November 2016- 22 November 2016- 19 December 2016- 21 February 2017The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health (Lord O’Shaughnessy) had meetings with Capita on 3 April 2017 to discuss migrant cost recovery. The former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Lord Prior) met with Capita on 15 October 2015.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to publish the evaluation of the HPV vaccination pilot for men who have sex with men.

Steve Brine: The evaluation of the human papilloma virus vaccination pilot for men who have sex with men will be published in the near future. It will be published on the GOV.UK website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hpv-vaccination-pilot-for-men-who-have-sex-with-men-msm

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to his comments on the Andrew Marr BBC TV programme on 29 October 2017, on psychological therapies, which UK therapies the Swedish authorities have expressed an interest in replicating; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Departmental officials participate in the International Initiative for Mental Health Leadership (IIMHL), which is being hosted in 2018 by Sweden. Discussions with Swedish representatives and a range of international partners will include sharing best practice on improving access to psychological therapies. The IIMHL is an international collaborative that focuses on creating the best opportunities for mental health leaders to share innovations, to network, and to problem solve across countries and agencies through leadership exchanges within the field of mental health and well-being.

Mental Health Services: Staff

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many staff employed by mental health trusts were previously employed by primary care trusts in each year since 2013.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The table below shows the number of staff (headcount) employed by a mental health trust at June each year who were employed by a primary care trust (PCT) at June 2012. MonthNumber of staff in mental health trusts who were previously employed by a PCT (headcount)June 20132,119June 20144,056June 20154,025June 20163,992June 20173,900 Source: NHS Digital monthly workforce statistics

Secure Psychiatric Units: Domestic Visits

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his oral evidence to the Health Select Committee, on Work of the Secretary of State for Health, on 31 October 2017, Q62, HC523, which locked mental rehabilitation wards he has visited since he took office; and on what dates those visits were made.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information is not held in the format requested.

Dental Services: Low Incomes

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to encourage investment in dental technology in low-income areas.

Steve Brine: NHS Dental contract holders are required to have in place all appropriate equipment and technology to deliver effective and safe care to their patients, irrespective of whether the contract is delivered in areas of deprivation or not.

Social Services

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many consultations on adult social care have been commissioned by his Department in the last 20 years; and if he will provide a list of those consultations.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department has commissioned the following consultations on adult social care in the last 20 years:  2005 - Green Paper, Independence, Wellbeing and Choice; 2009 - Green Paper, Shaping the Future of Care Together; 2010 - White Paper, Building the National Care Service; 2012 - White Paper, Caring for our Future; and 2015 – Green Paper, Consultation on the detail of the cap system.

Medicine: Research

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) affordability and (b) accessibility of medicines which are produced through publicly-funded medical research.

Steve Brine: We have made no assessment. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) assesses medicines on the basis of their value to patients and to the National Health Service. The source of financial support in developing each medicine is not assessed. The NHS is required by law to ensure that all medicines recommended by NICE are funded within three months, ensuring patient access to cost-effective medicines in England. New medicines are not subject to payments under the voluntary Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme, and NHS England monitors access to innovative medicines via the Innovation Scorecard in recognition of the value this Government places on innovation. Many countries fund research and development (R&D), often at an early stage. Private companies also invest in R&D. It is not possible to assess the contribution made by public investment or private investment in bringing products to market. The Government and its partners recently published the response to the Accelerated Access Review which sets out plans to give patients quicker access to life-changing treatments and make the United Kingdom the best place in the world for industry to invest and innovate. A total of £86 million of funding has already been committed to make the vision a reality.

NHS: Drugs

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will introduce standardised financial reporting measures for each medicine procured by the NHS.

Steve Brine: The only standardised National Health Service financial reporting measure for medicines is the drug cost at list price. This is published annually by NHS Digital in Prescribing Costs in Hospitals and the Community. This data does not reflect any discounts agreed with suppliers which are often commercially confidential. This data does not take account of any contract prices or discounts so the amount the NHS spent will be different. NHS negotiated contract prices for medicines are commercially sensitive.

Innovative Medicines and Medical Technology Review

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of products that will be considered for breakthrough status through the Accelerated Access Pathway in the next financial year.

Steve Brine: As set out in the response to the Accelerated Access Review, published on 3 November, we anticipate that around five breakthrough products will be selected each year. The Accelerated Access Pathway will be open to products from April 2018.

Innovative Medicines and Medical Technology Review

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the pharmaceutical industry on the cost effectiveness criteria for new treatments seeking breakthrough designation through the Accelerated Access Pathway.

Steve Brine: Ministers and officials from the Department meet regularly with the pharmaceutical industry to discuss policy development and implementation. Engagement will continue on the implementation of the Accelerated Access pathway and criteria for breakthrough products.

Innovative Medicines and Medical Technology Review

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the criteria are for patients to be appointed as a member of the Accelerated Access Collaborative.

Steve Brine: The Government will publish further detail on membership of the Accelerated Access Collaborative in the coming months. We have been clear that the voice of patients will be important, and will seek representation from individuals or organisations that represent a wide range of patient interests and views.

NHS: Migrant Workers

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many EU nationals have left jobs in the NHS since 23 June 2016.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS Digital collects data on the number of joiners and leavers in National Health Service trusts and clinical commissioning groups by nationality in England. The number of European Union national joiners between 30 June 2016 and 30 June 2017 was 12,748 and the number of leavers was 9,854 resulting in a net increase of 2,894. During the same period the total size of the workforce has increased, from 1,164,996 to 1,185,599. Data on the number of EU national leavers from the NHS as a whole is not available centrally.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: Diagnosis

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cases of post-traumatic stress disorder were diagnosed in (a) the UK and (b) London in 2016.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This information is not available in the format requested.

Ophthalmology: Accident and Emergency Departments

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients were admitted via accident and emergency with a primary diagnosis of ophthalmological condition in each month of the last seven financial years.

Mr Philip Dunne: A count of unplanned accident and emergency (A&E) attendances1 that resulted in a hospital admission2, for primary diagnosis of 'ophthalmological conditions'3, by month, 2010-11 and 2016-174 is shown in the table below. This is a count of hospital attendances resulting in admissions, not individual patients as the same person may have been admitted into a National Health Service hospital on more than one occasion.  Month2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-152015-162016-17April312496517497980609633May359503452509915678676June320558470452920609593July313545436418910591590August306511515436922615642September325488451400853606673October325427426502884589624November292429469451921571614December3014104944991,001586684January311436489468940662730February292424438491889565693March361527482576914716775Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Digital Notes:The following attendance category codes identify unplanned A&E attendances:1 = First Accident and Emergency attendance  3 = Follow-up Accident and Emergency attendance - unplanned 9 = Not known2 - Attendance disposal 01 = Admitted to hospital bed / become a lodged patient of the same health care provider.3 - A&E Diagnosis - Note that the recording of the diagnosis field within the A&E data set is not mandatory. It is not known to what extent changes over time are as a result of improvements in recording practice.36 = Ophthalmological conditions4 - HES figures are available from 2007-08 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of careNote that HES include activity ending in the year in question and run from April to March, e.g. 2012-13 includes activity occurring between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2013.

Injuries: Accident and Emergency Departments

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients were admitted via accident and emergency with a primary diagnosis of contusion or abrasion in each month of the last seven financial years.

Mr Philip Dunne: A count of unplanned accident and emergency (A&E) attendances1 that resulted in a hospital admission2, for primary diagnoses of 'contusion/abrasion'3, by month, 2010-11 and 2016-174 is provided in the table below. This is a count of hospital attendances resulting in admissions, not individual patients as the same person may have been admitted into a National Health Service hospital on more than one occasion. Month2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-152015-162016-17April1,2841,6611,1149921,6881,1591,201May1,2471,6091,2041,0741,7941,1801,377June1,1921,5741,1121,1101,7541,3101,333July1,1901,6231,1891,2041,8671,2961,395August1,2851,4581,1591,2311,7511,2631,470September1,1361,3831,2111,1241,7661,2861,410October1,0601,3281,0831,0621,7321,1601,448November1,0241,1891,0421,1061,7301,1891,292December1,2181,1171,0521,1481,6681,2111,444January1,2081,0069261,1121,5421,1771,343February1,1321,0109031,7421,5021,1431,130March1,3561,2209761,9041,7551,1451,355Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Digital Notes:1 - The following attendance category codes identify unplanned A&E attendances: 1 = First Accident and Emergency attendance  3 = Follow-up Accident and Emergency attendance - unplanned 9 = Not known2 - Attendance disposal 01 = Admitted to hospital bed / become a lodged patient of the same health care provider.3 - A&E Diagnosis - Note that the recording of the diagnosis field within the A&E data set is not mandatory. It is not known to what extent changes over time are as a result of improvements in recording practice.02 = Contrusion/abrasion4 - HES figures are available from 2007-08 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of careNote that HES include activity ending in the year in question and run from April to March, e.g. 2012-13 includes activity occurring between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2013.

Innovative Medicines and Medical Technology Review

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the capacity of the Accelerated Access Pathway to consider treatments for rare diseases, including muscle-wasting conditions, to be considered for fast-track breakthrough designation.

Steve Brine: The Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) will define the criteria for breakthrough products in the coming months. As set out in the response to the Accelerated Access Response, the AAC will focus on affordable products which can dramatically improve efficiency, fill an unmet need or make a step change in patient outcomes.

Mental Health Task Force: Females

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will set out the work of women's mental health taskforce to date.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Women’s Mental Health Taskforce (WMHTF) was set up in early 2017 in response to the findings of the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) which found a significant rise in mental ill health among women, particularly between 16-24 years old. The Taskforce’s objective is to develop proposals and deliver action collaboratively to improve women’s mental health, and is co-chaired by myself and Katherine Sacks-Jones, Director of Agenda. The WMHTF brings together experts on women’s mental health and involves key national organisations responsible for policy, commissioning and delivery of services, including system partners such as NHS England and Public Health England. The first meeting of the Taskforce was held in February 2017 and discussed the findings of the APMS and key issues for the Taskforce. The next WMHTF meeting is being held in November 2017. The Taskforce’s key findings will be made available in summer 2018.

Drugs: Licensing

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will ensure that all licensing agreements for medicines made by the NHS are placed on a publicly-accessible database.

Steve Brine: Medicines manufactured by the National Health Service are subject to requirements of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012/1916. As such the manufacturer must be licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and must comply with specified quality standards. The licence provides for stipulated processes to be conducted. There is a public register of all United Kingdom licensed manufacturers of medicines for human use on the Government services website GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/human-and-vetinary-medicines-register-of-licensed-manufacturing-sites-december-2014. The MHRA does not hold data on what medicines the NHS manufactures.

NHS: Smoking

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to prohibit smoking on the grounds of hospitals, health centres and other NHS buildings in England.

Steve Brine: The Department supports the implementation of smokefree policies across all hospitals in England. The Government published the Tobacco Control Plan on 18 July 2017, which outlines the ambition of achieving a smokefree National Health Service estate by 2020. There are no plans for new legislation.

Mental Health Services

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to implement the recommendation in the Independent Mental Health Taskforce's Five Year Forward View for Mental Health on the need for more thorough capturing of data.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Significant progress has been made on data for mental health services, including the publication of the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health (FYFV MH) Dashboard and improvements to the Mental Health Services Dataset (MHSDS) The Department is working with NHS England, NHS Digital and Public Health England to develop a five year plan that will set out next steps for substantially improving data across mental health services. NHS England has been working with NHS Digital to ensure changes are made to the MHSDS and the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies dataset to capture information on key FYFV MH priorities. Where existing national datasets have not been able to capture data on certain priority areas, bespoke collections have been implemented. This includes Out of Area Placements, Early Intervention in Psychosis and Children and Young People with Eating Disorders. NHS England is also leading data quality improvement work with NHS Digital, NHS Improvement, Public Health England and the Care Quality Commission across specialised and clinical commissioning group commissioned mental health services. The aim of this work is to ensure that the coverage and quality of national data is sufficient to report on all FYFV MH priorities.

NHS: Continuing Care

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information he holds on whether clinical commissioning groups have made deductions from NHS Continuing Healthcare payments for patients in receipt of a personal health budget.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Neither the Department nor NHS England holds this information. NHS Continuing Healthcare expenditure in the form of personal health budgets is part of the overall expenditure base of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). The funding provided by CCGs for NHS Continuing Healthcare packages in the form of a personal health budget should be sufficient to meet the needs identified in an individual’s care plan, based on the CCGs knowledge of the costs of services for the relevant needs in the locality where they are to be provided.

NHS: Continuing Care

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations his Department has received on clinical commissioning groups placing a cap on NHS Continuing Healthcare packages.

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has received reports of clinical commissioning groups refusing to pay for NHS Continuing Healthcare home care packages if they exceed the cost of a care home place by more than 10 per cent.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare makes clear that the starting point for agreeing a NHS Continuing Healthcare care package and the setting where NHS Continuing Healthcare services are to be provided should be the individual’s preferences. However, in some situations a model of support preferred by the individual will be more expensive than other options and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) can take comparative costs and value for money into account when determining the model of support to be provided. NHS England is working to encourage the development and dissemination of good practice by CCGs in relation to commissioning NHS Continuing Healthcare care packages.

Endoscopy: Training

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many more NHS endoscopies will be performed annually by 2020 by the clinical endoscopists being trained through the accelerated training programme.

Mr Philip Dunne: Health Education England estimate that the additional 200 clinical endoscopists being trained through the accelerated training programme will result in approximately 225,000 additional procedures a year.

Endoscopy: Training

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many clinical endoscopists have been trained as part of the accelerated training programme.

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many clinical endoscopy cohorts have completed training in 2017 as part of the accelerated training programme.

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many clinical endoscopists have been trained as part of the accelerated training programme.

Mr Philip Dunne: To date, 48 clinical endoscopists have completed Health Education England’s (HEE) accelerated training programme, of which 17 completed training in 2017. A further 40 clinical endoscopists are currently in training across two cohorts and are due to complete the programme in December 2017 and April 2018. HEE plan a further three cohort intakes in 2018. Training of endoscopists outside of England is a matter for each of the devolved administrations in that country.

Health Hazards: Young People

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of any risks to the health of 16 to 18-year olds that may be caused by voting.

Jackie Doyle-Price: No such assessment has been made.

Genito-urinary Medicine: Greater London

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on what date the e-healthcare service procured as part of the London Sexual Health Transformation Programme is planned to go live; whether that date has been amended since the establishment of that programme's procurement process; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the contract value is of the e-healthcare service procured as part of the London Sexual Health Transformation Programme.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether an assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the implementation of the London Sexual Health Transformation Programme.

Steve Brine: An integral part of the London Sexual Health Transformation Programme is the joint procurement by London boroughs of an e-service which is expected to commence from January 2018. Due to the scale and complexity of the procurement process this is later than originally planned; however interim arrangements for physical or online service delivery are being put in place locally as needed. The Health and Social Care Act 2012 set out local authorities’ responsibilities for commissioning open access sexual health services in their area. Procurement of the e-service was undertaken by the Programme on behalf of London local authorities. Public Health England is supporting the Programme by providing epidemiological data, advice on effectiveness of service, quality standards and will support its evaluation. The Programme is in the early stages of delivery and a robust monitoring and evaluation framework is being established to enable an assessment of its impact in the future.

NHS: Pay

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2017 to Question 111111, when he plans to respond to the resolution of the House of 13 September 2017, on NHS pay; and whether he plans to do so by means of an Oral Statement to the House.

Mr Philip Dunne: A statement in response to the motion on National Health Service pay by will be made within 12 weeks of the resolution of the House of 13 September. The statement will be made in accordance with the process set out by the Leader of the House of Commons.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were referred to mental health therapies in each year since 2010.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people entered mental health therapies in each year since 2010.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) annual reports include information on how many people were referred to, and how many people entered, IAPT therapies. However, the IAPT dataset was only established in April 2012. Therefore, data is not available on the period from 2010 until April 2012.Referrals received and numbers of people entering treatment 2012-13 to 2015-16, England 2012-132013-142014-152015-16  Referrals received883,9681,118,9901,267,1931,399,088 Referrals entered treatment434,247709,117815,665953,522Source: NHS Digital

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of people in England entering talking therapies waited more than 18 weeks for their treatment to start in each of the last three years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information is not available in the format requested. According to data used in the 2015-16 Improving Access to Psychological Therapies annual report, 3.7% of people (19,875 referrals) waited more than 18 weeks for their treatment to start in England in that year.

Sexually Transmitted Infections: Greater London

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many tests for sexually transmitted infections have been provided by the NHS in London in each of the last five years.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many online-ordered tests for sexually transmitted infections he estimates will be provided by the NHS in London in (a) 2017 and (b) each of the next five years.

Steve Brine: The data are not collected in the format requested. Public Health England has made no projections regarding the number of online-ordered tests for sexually transmitted infections.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Cosmetics: Safety

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to establish a body to replicate the work of the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety in providing scientific analysis of cosmetic products that enter the market in the event that the UK leaves the EU.

Margot James: The Government takes the issue of cosmetics safety extremely seriously. We will ensure that the UK continues to have access to appropriate scientific advice and analysis on cosmetics safety after the UK exits the EU, so that products on the UK market remain safe for consumers.

Cosmetics: Animal Experiments

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that cosmetic products that have been tested on animals do not enter the UK market in the event that the UK leaves the EU.

Margot James: The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will convert directly applicable EU law into UK law, including the marketing ban on cosmetic products or their ingredients that have been tested on animals.

National Union of Mineworkers: Northumberland

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2017 to Question 108898, on National Union of Mineworkers: Northumberland, if he will place the requested documentation in the Library.

Margot James: As I previously set out in my answer to Question 108898, the Certification Officer is not in a position to disclose documentation on current or past cases. This means that any documentation related to the case of the National Union of Mineworkers: Northumberland remains in the custody of the Certification Officer on a confidential basis.

EU Emissions Trading Scheme

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has for UK participation in the EU emissions trading system after the UK leaves the EU.

Claire Perry: As the Clean Growth Strategy sets out, the Government is considering the UK’s future participation in the EU Emissions Trading System after our exit from the EU, and we remain firmly committed to carbon pricing as an emissions reduction tool whilst ensuring energy and trade intensive businesses are appropriately protected from any detrimental impacts on competitiveness. Whatever our future relationship with the EU, we will seek to ensure that our future approach is at least as ambitious as the existing scheme and provide a smooth transition for the relevant sectors. The UK’s commitment and leadership role in tackling climate change remains undimmed and working closely with the EU on this global challenge will remain important.

Vauxhall Motors: Employment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to safeguard jobs at the Vauxhall plant in Ellesmere Port.

Claire Perry: Ministers and officials have been engaged very closely with key decision makers from both Vauxhall and their parent group PSA as they make their joint strategic plans for the future, alongside all other automotive manufacturers operating in the UK.More widely in the sector, the Government has built a successful partnership with automotive companies through the Auto Council. Through the Advanced Propulsion Centre, we have already delivered collaborative R&D projects worth £537 million backed with £260 million from Government. Also, one of the first of areas of focus for the Government’s flagship Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund is an investment of £246m over 4 years into battery technology. This will ensure the UK builds on its strengths and leads the world in the design, development and manufacture of electric batteries to secure the future of our automotive sector in the low carbon economy.

Manufacturing Industries: North West

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the implications for his Department's policies are of the findings of the recent report from the North West Business Leadership Team on the effect of the UK leaving the EU on manufacturing in the region; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: We will continue to engage with the North West Business Leadership Team and manufacturing industry more widely as we negotiate to leave the EU. Facing up to challenges together, but also exploiting the opportunities that will become open to us, will be vital for the future of UK economic growth.We remain committed to making the UK the best place in Europe to own and grow a manufacturing business by cutting business taxes, slashing red tape and investing in new scientific infrastructure on a record scale. Through our Industrial Strategy, we will make sure that we are using all the tools we have to stimulate growth in places such as the North West. That means using our record investments in infrastructure to unlock growth in every part of the country; using the major new investment in research to support innovative manufacturing businesses across the country; and encouraging inward investment into the parts of the country where we need to get growth going faster.Over the past few years, we have invested over £1.5 billion through the Local Growth Fund, in the North West for projects to boost local economies. The Regional Growth Fund that supports eligible projects and programmes raising private sector investment to create economic growth and lasting employment, has, since its launch in 2010, resulted in over 46,000 jobs being contracted, of which 21,426 are in manufacturing. According to the EEF, the North West was the number one region in the UK in terms of manufacturing output in 2016.In the Liverpool region, LCR 4.0 will deliver fully subsidised support to 300 SMEs, enable collaborations between 200 businesses and partners, support 70 new product development cases across a number of firms and create 60 new jobs in supported businesses. The Government has also provided £5 million matched funding to create “Sensor City”, a flagship University Enterprise Zone which enables industry and academic partners in a range of sectors to translate their innovative sensor concepts into commercially viable solutions.

Small Businesses: Advisory Services

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of mentoring services to small and medium-sized enterprises.

Margot James: There are a variety of mentoring services available in the public and private sector. This includes Mentorsme which was set up by the British Bankers’ Association with Government support as an online gateway for small and medium-sized enterprises looking for mentoring services. It provides them with access to a list of quality assured business mentoring organisations according to the life stage of their business and their location in Britain. A number of the 38 growth hubs across England have also established mentoring programs in their local areas.

Small Businesses: Advisory Services

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to set up a mentoring service for mentors to small and medium-sized enterprises.

Margot James: Later this year the Government will publish the Industrial Strategy White Paper which will set out its plans to support business to boost productivity and growth.

Small Businesses: Advisory Services

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much his Department has spent on mentors to small and medium-sized enterprises in each of the last five years.

Margot James: Mentoring takes place in many different ways, embedded in a broad range of publically funded programmes. This information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Small Business Commissioner

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what further regulations he plans to lay in respect of the Small Business Commissioner.

Margot James: The Small Business Commissioner (Scope and Scheme) Regulations 2017, establishing details of the Small Business Commissioner’s complaints handling function and small businesses in scope of the service, were laid in Parliament in draft on 19 July. There are no plans to lay further regulations.

Self-employed

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to improve employment benefits and protections for self-employed people working in low-skilled sectors.

Margot James: The Government is now considering the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices which discusses the issues raised by the hon. Member. Matthew Taylor’s report is comprehensive and detailed and we are giving the report the careful consideration it deserves and will respond in full later this year.

Geothermal Power

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to increase the use of geothermal energy in the UK.

Richard Harrington: This Government supports the development of geothermal energy through a range of policy support mechanisms and by supporting world class research. The development of deep geothermal heat is supported through the Renewable Heat Incentive and through feasibility studies funded by the Heat Network Delivery Unit. Funding for geothermal district heating schemes will also be available through the Heat Networks Investment Project. Geothermal power projects are eligible for support through the Contracts for Difference Scheme. The Government is also funding the UK Geoenergy Observatories Project, a £31 million project led by the Natural Environment Research Council and the British Geological Survey, to explore the potential of geothermal energy for the benefit of local communities. The project will also explore the opportunity for other areas of innovation and research into the subsurface.

Space Technology

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to allow the UK space industry to have continued access to research and development (a) funding, (b) expertise and (c) facilities currently provided at EU level after the UK leaves the EU.

Joseph Johnson: As the UK prepares to leave the EU, one of the UK’s core objectives is to seek agreement to continue to collaborate with European partners on major science, research, and technology initiatives. The UK will look to build on its unique relationship with the EU and establish an agreement on science and innovation that ensures the valuable links between the UK and the EU continue to grow, supporting sectors such as the UK space industry. The UK Government committed in August 2016 to guarantee the funding for all successful bids made by UK participants for competitively bid-for Horizon 2020 projects that are submitted before EU exit. We will work with the Commission to ensure payment when funds are awarded. We aim to create a flexible immigration system that will support the economy when we leave the EU. The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has been commissioned by the Home Office to consider how the UK’s immigration system works for strategically important sectors of the economy, such as the space industry.

Space Technology

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with representatives of the UK space sector supply chain on the effect of leaving the (a) single market and (b) customs union on that industry.

Joseph Johnson: The UK has a world-leading space sector and a quarter of the world’s telecommunications satellites are either built here or with key UK components. This Government intends to secure the best possible outcome for the UK as we exit the European Union. We’ve been clear that we want our companies and universities to continue participating in key EU space programmes, and through our Industrial Strategy and ongoing investment in the UK space sector, we are ensuring we have the infrastructure and skills in place to support our ambition to capture 10% of the global space market by 2030.

Postal Services

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of the privatisation of Royal Mail on the provision of postal services.

Margot James: Royal Mail, as the UK’s universal service provider, is required to provide postal services in accordance with the minimum criteria set by Parliament under the Postal Services Act 2011 and quality standards set by Ofcom. Ofcom’s assessments of postal services have been published annually on its website since 2011-12. Royal Mail’s performance is set out in its Annual Reports and Accounts.

Cost of Energy Independent Review

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the implications for his Department's policies are of the policy proposals outlined in the independent report Cost of energy published on 25 October 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: As the review by Professor Dieter Helm is independent, we will now take the time to assess carefully its findings. We have published a Call for Evidence to gather views from industry, academics, businesses and consumer groups.

Iron and Steel

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2017 to Question 7012, what progress has been made towards publishing the Future Capabilities of the UK Steel Sector study.

Claire Perry: The report on the Future Capabilities of the UK Steel Sector is now in the final stages of development; following consultation with the UK steel industry. The Department will look to publish the findings once the work has concluded.

Post Offices

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish the outcome of the Government's Post Office network consultation.

Margot James: I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 5796.

Renewable Energy

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to prioritise the use of clean, renewable energy over traditional energy sources; and what steps are being taken to avoid wind farms being turned off and constraint payments made.

Richard Harrington: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Business: ICT

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to ensure digital transformation programmes are affordable for (a) small and medium-sized enterprises and (b) charities.

Claire Perry: Government’s Digital Strategy includes plans to boost the nation’s digital skills, infrastructure and innovation, and aims to make the UK the best place to invest in tech.My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has now chaired two meetings of the Digital Economy Council, which brings together leaders from the tech sector with government. The Council will drive progress on the Digital Strategy, such as stimulating growth and delivering new jobs in the digital economy. Minister of State for Digital will be chairing his second Digital Economy Advisory Group at the end of the year. The Advisory Group specifically focusses on supporting the tech sectors and helping innovation. Both groups will focus on the implementation of the Digital Strategy, along with feeding into the development of the Digital Charter. Membership of these groups are varied and include: TechUK, Google, BT, Raspberry Pi and Entreprenuer First. Full membership detailes can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/digital-economy-council-and-digital-economy-advisory-groupActions we are already taking include launching GREAT.gov.uk, a new digital trade hub to help businesses export, which provides advice and support to current and potential exporters. This includes access to a smart database to connect them with global online marketplaces such as Amazon and Alibaba.We have also negotiated preferential rates with key e-marketplaces, making the UK one of the easiest and best places from which to sell goods online around the world. We are delivering promotions in key overseas markets to promote UK companies on these marketplaces.The Digital Business Academy is a free online platform created by Tech City UK, to provide the skills needed to start, grow or join a digital business. Currently there are 11 courses available created by University College London, Cambridge University Judge Business School, Founder Centric and Valuable Content. Almost 20% of the academy graduates report that they are starting digital companies after finishing at least one skill. TCUK (and Tech North) have received approx. £16 million from government over the last 7 years.

Business: ICT

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment the Government has made of the level of investment by businesses in digital transformation.

Claire Perry: The latest national estimates show that, although software is the second largest private intangible investment after research & development and intellectual property, it is the fastest growing, reaching £28.2bn in 2014, over a fifth of the total (£133bn).We know that UK businesses face barriers to digital adoption including skills shortages and we are addressing these through a number of initiatives long and short term, including the Digital Strategy; we are also carefully considering the recommendations made by the review of Artificial Intelligence and the industry-led Made Smarter review. These are given more detailed explanation in the answer I gave today to Question 111391.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Staff

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many staff appointed after 24 June 2016 in his Department hold a post that includes work on the UK leaving the EU.

Margot James: It is not possible to estimate the proportion of staff time dedicated to EU exit due to the interdependencies and synergies between EU exit and the Department’s other priorities. Teams across the Department are working on delivering a successful EU exit. This includes full-time staff in central coordination teams, and dedicated resource embedded in policy and delivery teams. The Department will continue to ensure there is an appropriate level of resource to deliver its EU exit programme.

Medicine: Research

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that public interest conditions are included and enforced in all publicly-funded medical research contracts and agreements.

Joseph Johnson: Terms and conditions of grants issued by the Research Councils, including the Medical Research Council (MRC), state that the Research Organisation is required to have in place procedures for governing good research practice, and for investigating and reporting unacceptable research conduct, that meet the requirements set out in the Concordat to Support Research Integrity (2012)http://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/highereducation/Pages/Theconcordattosupportresearchintegrity.aspx, and in the Research Councils’ Code of Conduct and Policy on the Governance of Good Research Conduct. The Research Organisation must also ensure that potential conflicts of interest in research are declared and subsequently managed.

Companies: Ownership

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy to extend the Register of Beneficial Ownership to British Overseas Territories; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: Under the UK Companies Act, legislation on the Register of People with Significant Control can only be applied to companies as defined in that Act. On matters of company law, the Overseas Territories are legislatively independent. These jurisdictions are largely self-governing: they have their own governments, legislatures and elected representatives, and do not have representation in the UK Parliament. Under arrangements concluded in 2016, Overseas Territories with a financial centre have committed to hold beneficial ownership in central registers or similarly effective systems, and to give UK law enforcement and tax authorities near real-time access to beneficial ownership information on corporate and legal entities incorporated in their jurisdictions. These measures represent a significant step forward in our ability to investigate serious and organised crime, including bribery, corruption, money laundering and tax evasion.

Energy: Prices

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has for additional support to assist vulnerable people with their energy bills in winter 2017-18; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: Four and half million households on pre-payment meters are already protected by a price cap that came into effect in April. Ofgem is consulting on extending this to a further one million vulnerable households this winter.The Government also provides £140 a year for over 2 million low income households through the Warm Home Discount, between £100-£300 a year for pensioners through Winter Fuel Payments, and £25 a week for low income and vulnerable households during a cold snap through Cold Weather Payments.In April 2017 the Government reformed the Energy Company Obligation so that it has a greater focus on low income and vulnerable households. The current scheme, which is worth £640m per year and runs to October 2018 is expected to deliver over 300,000 measures, helping to make homes warmer now and for years to come.

Cost of Energy Independent Review

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the preparation and publication of the independent report, entitled Cost of energy, published on 25 October 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: The reviewer, Professor Dieter Helm, was paid £500 per day, for 30 days work. Members of the advisory panel were not paid. The Department also reimbursed the travel costs of the reviewer and advisory panel members, which amount to £410. A small team in BEIS supported the reviewer in the conduct of the review, in particular by providing publicly available information.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Telephone Services

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which public telephone lines for his Department's services are charged at higher rates; and how much was taken by each such telephone line in the last 12 months.

Margot James: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy does not have any public telephone lines that are charged at higher rates.

Post Offices

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish a response to the Government's Post Office network consultation of November 2016.

Margot James: I refer the hon Member to the 5 September 2017 answer I gave to Question UIN 5796.

Boilers: Social Security Benefits

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will introduce a boiler replacement scheme for terminally ill people in receipt of a contribution-based benefit who are denied access to existing schemes where eligibility is determined through receipt of an income-related benefit.

Claire Perry: Terminally ill people in receipt of a contribution-based benefit may be able to get a replacement boiler under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO). From April 2017, an element of the scheme has been established under which local authorities can refer households for support. Most local authorities have chosen to use health conditions as part of their eligibility criteria. Local authorities are also using income criteria which do not distinguish between different types of benefits.In early 2018 Government will be consulting on the future ECO scheme due to run from October 2018 to March 2022. This will include proposals about eligibility and measures supported.In addition to ECO, some energy suppliers have chosen to provide replacement boilers under the Industry Initiatives element of the Warm Home Discount and terminally ill people may be able receive assistance via that route.

Shipping: Minimum Wage

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will update the guidance to HM Revenue and Customs National Minimum Wage Enforcement Team officials on seafarers and the national minimum wage.

Margot James: Updated guidance on seafarers and the minimum wage will be published shortly. This updated guidance has been developed in consultation with both sector and worker representatives, primarily through the Legal Working Group on Seafarers and the National Minimum Wage.

Shipping: Minimum Wage

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reasons officials of his Department did not attend the meeting of the Legal Working Group on seafarers and the national minimum wage held at the Department for Transport on (a) 22 February and (b) 1 November 2017.

Margot James: The Government is committed to cracking down on employers who break National Minimum Wage law. Officials engage regularly with members of the Legal Working Group on Seafarers and the National Minimum Wage, particularly in relation to updating Government guidance.

Job Creation: Leeds

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to facilitate the creation of more jobs in Leeds for young people.

Margot James: The Leeds economy is performing well. The current employment rate is 1.1% ahead of the England average and has grown by 5.2% since 2010. In 2016 Leeds saw the highest private sector jobs growth (6.1%) in the UK. Government is investing in economic and jobs growth in the area through the Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership. The first two rounds of the Growth Deal will deliver 10,000 new jobs in the City Region. Projects supported include the Leeds City Region Business Growth Programme, through which over 130 Leeds businesses have benefitted from capital grants to create jobs. The Leeds City Region City Deal supported the creation of Apprenticeship Hubs which led to over 2,300 new apprenticeships; the Headstart programme, which supported over 1,000 18-24 year olds into work; and the Devolved Youth Pilot which saw 3,100 16-17 year olds move into education employment or training.

Sahaviriya Steel Industries UK

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that unspent funds allocated to the SSI taskforce remain available to that taskforce.

Claire Perry: The Government provided a comprehensive funding package to support the affected workforce and promote the economic recovery of the Tees Valley in response to the SSI liquidation. Of this funding, £50 million was allocated specifically to the SSI Task Force to deliver a range of tailored support initiatives. All of this funding has already been paid to the accountable bodies. Task Force members continue to work closely with officials in the Department to deliver this support package.

EU Emissions Trading Scheme

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to protect British companies who are planning to use their EU emissions trading system allowance provided in 2018 to meet their 2017 obligations.

Claire Perry: The Government recognises the desire for clarity regarding the UK’s participation in the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) as we withdraw from the EU. To provide certainty to business and others, the Government has proposed moving forward the 2018 reporting and compliance deadlines for UK participants to before the date of the UK’s withdrawal in 2019. Subject to responses from our consultation published on 6 November, we intend to have this measure in place before the end of the year.This change will render unnecessary the alternative measures proposed in a recently agreed amendment to the EU ETS Directive, which would mean that allowances issued by the UK in 2018 would not be usable for compliance. The UK will continue to engage with the EU institutions, Member States and others to reach an agreed position.

Business: ICT

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the readiness of UK businesses to adopt fourth industrial revolution technologies, in particular (a) machine learning and (b) the Internet of Things.

Claire Perry: The UK economy has key strengths that will enable businesses to adopt industrial digitalisation technologies, such as a world-leading research and innovation system, pioneering firms in manufacturing servitisation, and the strongest artificial intelligence and machine learning market in Europe. Through a modern industrial strategy the Government is seeking to build upon these strengths. For example, the Digital Strategy outlines ways to make Britain the best place to start and grow a digital business, trial new technology, or undertake advanced research. We are also taking action to improve digital capability skills.However, we also recognise the challenges businesses face. BEIS is currently considering the independent government commissioned review led by Professor Dame Wendy Hall, and Jerome Pesenti “Growing the Artificial Intelligence Industry in the UK” and has announced £68 million for ground breaking research and development in robotics and artificial intelligence. We are also in the early stages of reviewing the recently published, industry-led ‘Made Smarter’ report, which considers barriers to adoption of digital technologies including machine learning and Internet of Things. We will continue to work with business to overcome barriers and realise the opportunities of the fourth Industrial Revolution.

Business: Digital Technology

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to increase the adoption of digital technologies by UK businesses.

Claire Perry: Government’s Digital Strategy includes plans to boost the nation’s digital skills, infrastructure and innovation, and aims to make the UK the best place to invest in tech.My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has now chaired two meetings of the Digital Economy Council, which brings together government and leaders from the tech sector. The Council will drive progress on the Digital Strategy, such as stimulating growth and delivering new jobs in the digital economy. My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Digital will be chairing his second Digital Economy Advisory Group at the end of the year. The Advisory Group specifically focusses on supporting the tech sectors and helping innovation. Both groups will focus on the implementation of the Digital Strategy, along with feeding into the development of the Digital Charter. Membership of these groups is varied and includes: TechUK, Google, BT, Raspberry Pi and Entreprenuer First. Full membership details can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/digital-economy-council-and-digital-economy-advisory-groupActions we are already taking include launching GREAT.gov.uk, a new digital trade hub to help businesses export, which provides advice and support to current and potential exporters. This includes access to a smart database to connect them with global online marketplaces such as Amazon and Alibaba. We have also negotiated preferential rates with key e-marketplaces, making the UK one of the easiest and best places from which to sell goods online around the world. We are delivering promotions in key overseas markets to promote UK companies on these marketplaces.The Digital Business Academy is a free online platform created by Tech City UK, to provide the skills needed to start, grow or join a digital business. Currently there are 11 courses available created by University College London, Cambridge University Judge Business School, Founder Centric and Valuable Content. Almost 20% of the academy graduates report that they are starting digital companies after finishing at least one skill. TCUK (and Tech North) have received approx £16 million from government over the last 7 years.I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave today to Question UIN 111926 where I have highlighted our current period of analysis of the recommendations put forward by two very recent reviews – the government review of Artificial Intelligence and the industry-led Made Smarter Review of industrial digitalisation.

Wind Power: Scotland

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress has been made on allowing zero subsidy contract for difference on-shore wind farms in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Royal Bank of Scotland

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Oral Answer of 7 November 2017, Official Report, on the Royal Bank of Scotland: small business customers, to which practices of the Global Restructuring Group that Answer refers to.

Margot James: In my answer to the hon. Member on 7 November, I was referring in general terms to the practices described in the interim summary of the Skilled Person’s Report published by the Financial Conduct Authority on 23 October 2017. The opening words of this document are “The independent review found that there had been widespread inappropriate treatment of SME customers by RBS” and it goes on to describe a range of practices that led the Skilled Person to this conclusion.

Royal Bank of Scotland

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Oral Answer of 7 November 2017, Official Report, on the Royal Bank of Scotland: small business customers, to which inquiry that Answer refers to.

Margot James: In my answer to the hon. Member on 7 November, the inquiry to which I was referring is the Financial Conduct Authority’s investigation into Royal Bank of Scotland’s treatment of customers referred to its Global Restructuring Group.

Carbon Capture and Storage

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department will be running a competition for carbon capture, utilisation and storage projects in the (a) oil, (b) gas and (c) coal sectors as well as the industrial sector; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: Carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS) has a potentially vital role in reducing emissions across a range of activities but the technology needs to be made more cost effective to deploy at scale. Government will be publishing a deployment pathway for CCUS in 2018, setting out the steps needed to meet the Government’s ambition of deploying CCUS at scale during the 2030s, subject to costs coming down sufficiently.The Department, as part of its £100 million investment in CCUS and industrial energy innovation, intends to launch a competition for carbon capture and usage in industrial sectors. It will seek to identify ways to reduce the cost of carbon capture and utilisation and to create new economic opportunities from using carbon dioxide. This will demonstrate and provide much needed learning on the technology. Further details will be announced later this year.

Ministry of Defence

Hawk Aircraft

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to place new orders for Hawk Trainers for the Royal Air Force.

Harriett Baldwin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 October 2017 to Question 107787 to the hon. Member for Kingston Upon Hull North (Diana Johnson).



107787 - WQnA extract on Military Aircraft
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Military Bases: Fire Prevention

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2017 to Question 109676, on military bases: fire prevention, on how many occasions a Minister from his Department has met the Director General Defence Safety Authority to discuss fire safety at military bases in the UK.

Mark Lancaster: The Defence Secretary and Ministry of Defence Ministers meet with the Director General Defence Safety Authority (DG DSA) routinely. DG DSA meets the Defence Secretary twice a year and the Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans quarterly or more often. These meetings cover all aspects of safety in Defence which may include, but are not limited to, discussions relating to fire safety at military bases.The former Defence Secretary, as a member of The Defence Board, was briefed by DG DSA on his Annual Assurance Report, which includes content relating to fire safety.

Trident Submarines

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any additional funds will be allocated to the Trident replacement programme in the 2017-18 financial year which have not already been budgeted for.

Harriett Baldwin: Like any large organisation we allocate funds to those activities that are the highest priority. The Dreadnought submarine replacement programme will provide the ultimate guarantee of our national security - it remains within its budget.

Military Aircraft: Procurement

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if his Department will give consideration to retaining UK aerospace design and manufacturing capability by taking into account supply chains when purchasing new aircraft.

Harriett Baldwin: We recognise the important contribution the UK's Defence Aerospace Industry makes to the UK's national security and prosperity.Through the Future Combat Air Strategy Technology Initiative (FCAS TI), announced as part of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review settlement, we are pursuing a national programme to ensure the UK retains the skills and capabilities necessary to maintain our place as a global leader in this area including in the wider supply chain.We continue to review the defence industrial landscape, including in the UK aerospace sector to better understand our longer-term requirements and delivery options including the potential for international partnering, industry's appetite to invest, adjacent civil investment and overall affordability. Our review process considers the broader supply chain and will be taken into consideration in future procurement decisions. In addition, the refreshed Defence Industrial Policy will further explain how our investment choices take account of factors contributing to a more dynamic and productive UK economy, in which the UK defence supply chain plays a crucial part.

Hawk Aircraft

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average length of service is for a Hawk T1 aircraft in a Red Arrows squadron.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The RAF rotates individual aircraft from the wider Hawk T1 fleet through the Red Arrows as part of routine fleet management. Aircraft do not therefore spend their entire service life with the team.Although the maintenance and service life of individual aircraft will differ, it is expected the current aircraft will each serve an average of some 1,400 flying hours with the Red Arrows before they are returned to the wider Hawk T1 fleet for maintenance, transfer to another unit, storage or disposal. Some aircraft may also be transferred back to the Red Arrows in due course.

Hawk Aircraft

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the decision was made to extend the out-of-service date for the Red Arrows Hawk T1 aircraft to 2030.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The RAF last reviewed the Hawk T1 out of service date as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 and concluded that by reducing the amount of overall activity, the lifetime of the aircraft across the Hawk T1 fleet could be extended to 2030.

Hawk Aircraft

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the decision was made to extend the out-of-service date for the Red Arrows Hawk T1 aircraft to 2030.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend, the Minister for Defence Procurement (Harriett Baldwin) gave her on 1 November 2017 to Question 109555.



109555 - WQnA extract on Hawk Aircraft
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Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support armed services personnel and veterans who experience mental ill health.

Mark Lancaster: The Defence People Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy (DPMHWS) 2017-2022 was launched on 20 July. Covering all Defence people, the Strategy identifies the need for strong partnerships with the Department of Health, the National Health Service (NHS) in England and the Devolved Administrations and the charitable sector and for a new operating model focusing on Promote, Prevent, Treat and Detect. The Strategy is well resourced through connected agencies and services, and it will be taken forward by the forthcoming Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy Action Plan. The DPMHWS can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/defence-people-mental-health-and-wellbeing-strategyThe NHS in England and the Devolved Administrations have responsibility for the provision of healthcare, including mental healthcare, for former Armed Forces personnel. In line with the DPMHWS, the Ministry of Defence works closely with the Department of Health and NHS to facilitate a better understanding of the needs and priorities of the Armed Forces Community.We encourage Service personnel and veterans wishing to seek help with mental health problems to visit: www.gov.uk/mental-health-support-for-the-uk-armed-forces. Veterans can also call the 24-hour veterans' mental health helpline, provided by Combat Stress, on 0800 138 1619. Information and advice on services is also available through Veterans UK and the Veterans Gateway.

Turkey: HMS Ocean

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations his Department has received from the Government of Turkey about that country's willingness to buy HMS Ocean if it is not sold to Brazil.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence has received an expression of interest from the Government of Turkey about the potential sale of HMS OCEAN.

Type 31e Frigates

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which organisations have responded to his Department's request for information as part of the bidding process for the Type 31e Frigate programme.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We have had a positive response to the request for industry to provide initial high level proposals against the outline requirements of the Type 31e Frigate programme. I am withholding the names of the companies who responded to the Request for Information as disclosure would prejudice their commercial interests.

European Fighter Aircraft: Exports

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, to which countries his Department is supporting the sale of Typhoon aircraft; and to which countries such aircraft have already been sold.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK Government and the Governments of the Eurofighter Typhoon Partner Nations are working with Eurofighter Partner Companies to maximize the export potential of the Typhoon in the worldwide combat air jet market, looking to build on previous international success.On behalf of the Eurofighter Typhoon Partner Nations, the Department is currently leading engagements with the following nations on their interest in the Typhoon aircraft: Bahrain, Belgium, Finland, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and the State of Qatar.To date 599 Typhoon aircraft have been ordered by the following nations: Austria, Germany, Italy, the State of Kuwait, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Spain, the Sultanate of Oman and the United Kingdom.

Reserve Forces: Training

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what changes have been made to his Department's guidance on insurance packages for reservists undertaking specialist forces training and selection since 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) provides cover for death and injury attributable to service under the Armed Forces Compensation and Pension Schemes. It is a matter for individual Service personnel to decide whether they wish to enhance the wider benefits available to them already by additionally purchasing commercial personal accident and life insurance.The MOD recognises there have been times when Service personnel have experienced difficulty in obtaining commercial insurance cover which is available to the general public, due to the nature of their employment and the war risks associated with conflict situations. In keeping with the Armed Forces Covenant, the MOD is committed to ensuring that Service personnel are not disadvantaged in their ability to access privately arranged personal accident and life insurance due to their employment and this approach is currently managed through two insurance schemes: PAX and SLI 365. Guidance provided by the MOD on these schemes is updated on a periodic basis, although there have been no specific changes in guidance for Reservists undertaking specialist forces training and selection since 2013.

Ministry of Defence: Aviation

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many air miles have been (a) earned by his Department's personnel flying on business, (b) collected by those personnel and (c) offset against his Department's business travel in the last five years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Ministry of Defence (MOD) policy is that individuals should not collect air miles as part of official travel.Corporately, the MOD has arrangements with the majority of airlines that preclude the collection of air miles in favour of reduced fares where possible. Where corporate air miles are collected these are also used to directly reduce MOD air ticket costs. The MOD does not hold this data as it rests with the travel provider.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2017 to Question 110561, on Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft, how many aircraft are planned to be in service with No. 617 Squadron RAF when the UK F-35 programme reaches initial operating capability.

Harriett Baldwin: Initial operating capability is on track for the end of 2018 and nine F-35B aircraft are planned to be in service with 617 Squadron.

Special Forces

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much additional funding his Department has allocated to the Special Forces since the publication of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review; and if he will make a statement on the delivery of that funding.

Mark Lancaster: It is long-standing Departmental policy not to comment on specific details of Special Forces capability.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2017 to Question 110561, on Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft, what the reasons are for initial commitments for integration of UK weapons on F-35 aircraft being funded through support funds instead of through initial procurement funds.

Harriett Baldwin: A number of UK weapons have been included within initial commitments and will be delivered as part of the F-35 capability standard at Initial Operating Capability. The support costs referred to in the answer to Question 110561 were associated with initial commitments to Follow On Modernisation which includes support elements to additional UK weapons integration.

Navy: Drugs

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons regular drug testing was not mandatory for the crews of Vanguard-class submarines before October 2017.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his current policy is on drug testing on all ships of the Royal Navy on operations; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: Substance misuse is unacceptable in the Naval Service, which maintains a policy of zero tolerance. All personnel, wherever they are serving in the UK or deployed on operations, are liable for random compulsory drug testing. This includes all ships, submarines and shore establishments, and the ships' companies of Vanguard Class submarines are not, nor have they been, exempt from this.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Joint Helicopter Command overseas training exercises have been cancelled in each of the last five years.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Joint Helicopter Command exercises have been held in each of the last five years.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Joint Helicopter Command overseas training exercises have been cancelled in 2017.

Mark Lancaster: The number of Joint Helicopter Command led exercises held and cancelled in each of the last five years is as follows: YearExercise HeldExercises Cancelled2017822016712015602014902013100 Joint Helicopter Command also supports training exercises led by other parts of the Armed Forces and with other nations.

Islamic State

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of square miles of territory freed from Daesh control as a result of military activity by ground forces supported by International Coalition airstrikes in (a) Iraq and (b) Syria.

Mark Lancaster: The Global Coalition estimates that Daesh has now lost 90% of the territory it once controlled in Iraq and Syria.

Islamic State

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of people freed from Daesh control as a result of military activity by ground forces supported by International Coalition airstrikes in (a) Syria and (b) Iraq.

Mark Lancaster: The Global Coalition estimates that over six million people have now been freed from Daesh across both Iraq and Syria.

RAF Menwith Hill

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people work at NSA/NRO Menwith Hill; and how many of those people are (a) US Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, (b) US contractors, (c) US civilians, (d) NSA, (e) NRO, personnel, (f) US CIA, (g) British military, (h) RAF personnel, including the RAF Liaison Officer, (i) his Department's personnel, (j) GCHQ personnel, (k) British contractors and (l) British civilians.

Mark Lancaster: The numbers of personnel based at RAF Menwith Hill are given below, and are current as of 8 November 2017: US Military33US Contractors344US Civilians250UK Military7 (5 RN; 2 RAF)UK Contractors85UK Civilians486  The number of GCHQ employees is included in the overall figure for UK civilians as it is Government practice not to disclose the number of personnel working in intelligence at specific locations. The US authorities do not release a detailed breakdown of US civilian personnel; therefore the overall total of US civilians has been provided.

RAF Fairford

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost of development and upgrading of USAF Fairford will be; and who will bear that cost.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence is aware of the United States Air Force plans to relocate the RC-135 Rivet Joint Mission from RAF Mildenhall to RAF Fairford by 2023. The estimated cost of the relocation and associated infrastructure works that will be required at the base is $43 million, and these costs will fall to the United States.

Housing Benefit: Southwark

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people living in (a) Camberwell and Peckham constituency and (b) the London Borough of Southwark have been in receipt of guaranteed income payment in each of the last five years.

Mark Lancaster: Guaranteed Income Payments are payable under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme which came into force on 6 April 2005. They provide a regular income stream, payable for life, to former Service personnel who suffer an injury or illness attributable to their Service which is likely to cause a significant loss of earning capacity.As at 31 March 2013, 2014 and 2015 there were no veterans living in the Camberwell and Peckham constituency who were in receipt of Guaranteed Income Payments. As at 31 March 2016 and 2017, there were fewer than three veterans receiving such payments.As at 31 March 2013 and 2014, there were no veterans living in the London Borough of Southwark who were in receipt of Guaranteed Income Payments. As at 31 March 2015, 2016 and 2017, fewer than three veterans were in receipt of such payments.Note: In line with Ministry of Defence Statistical Disclosure Guidelines, numbers fewer than three have been supressed to reduce the possible inadvertent disclosure of individual identities.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Property Development: Floods

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many homes have been built on flood plains in each of the last five years.

Alok Sharma: Estimates of the numbers of homes built on flood plains can be obtained by comparing the percentage of new residential addresses created that were in in National Flood Zone 3 with the new build completion statistics. These figures are available for 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 from:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/573278/1516_Land_Use_Change_Statistics_Live_Tables.xlsx (Table P320); andhttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/568411/LiveTable_120.xls (Table 120)Figures for previous years exist only for 2011 and earlier years and are not on the same basis as those in Table P320.All local planning authorities are expected to follow the strict tests set out in national planning policy and guidance, which includes steering development away from high flood risk areas. Where development in flood risk areas is considered, national planning policy is clear that it should be safe, resilient and not increase flood risk elsewhere.

Energy Performance Certificates

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the independent control system in overseeing quality assurances of energy performance certificates.

Alok Sharma: Two per cent of all Energy Performance certificates (EPCs) are randomly selected for audit by the accreditation schemes responsible for certifying energy assessors. In addition to this, independent auditors are appointed by my Department to regularly audit accreditation schemes to make sure that they comply with DCLG’s operating requirements.It is important that prospective homebuyers and tenants are aware of the energy efficiency of the property they are looking to buy or rent and EPCs enable this.

Department for Communities and Local Government: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of his Department's spend in the last year has been with Government strategic suppliers.

Mr Marcus Jones: In line with the published Crown Representatives and Strategic Suppliers List, the Department’s proportion of procurement spend with strategic suppliers for financial year 2016-17 was 14 per cent as shown on our records.AMEY COMMUNITY LTDATKINS LTDBT PAYMENT SERVICES LTDCAPITACGI IT UK LTDFUJITSU SERVICES LTDINTERSERVEORACLE CORPORATION UK LTDVODAFONEThe Crown Representatives and Strategic Suppliers list is shown at the website below.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/strategic-suppliers

Department for Communities and Local Government: Trade Union Officials

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much his Department's public bodies spent on employees partly or wholly employed on trade union duties in each year since 2015.

Mr Marcus Jones: The table below shows how much the Department for Communities and Local Government Arm’s Length Bodies and Non Departmental Public Bodies have spent on employees partly or wholly employed on trade union duties in each year since 2015.  FY - 2015/16FY - 2016/17FY - 2017/18Accumulative totalPlanning Inspectorate (PINS)£19,111.00£14,173.00£5948.00£39,232.00Homes and Communities Agency (HCA)£17,579.00£20,660.00£17,399.55£55,638.55*Valuation Tribunal Service£119.25£120.45£0.00£239.70QE11£0.00£0.00£0.00£0.00Lease£0.00£0.00£0.00£0.00Ebbsfleet£0.00£0.00£0.00£0.00*Individual support to Unison members has been provided via their Regional Officer, which has meant that the costs have predominately fallen on Unison not the VTS.In addition, Housing Ombudsman has two union representatives that are released on an ad hoc basis for trade union activities. The cost is not centrally recorded.

Rented Housing: Licensing

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Oral contribution of Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 23 March 2015, Official Report, column GC331, what progress has been made on undertaking a review of the impact of changes to the selective licensing of houses; and if he will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: The Department plans to carry out a review of selective licensing shortly. The review will be informed partly by the progress and outcomes on a number of applications for large scale schemes submitted in the second half of this year, which is why the start of the review has been deferred.

Affordable Housing: Expenditure

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the affordable housing budget was in each of the last 15 years.

Alok Sharma: The information on Government’s capital expenditures on affordable housing through Government’s affordable homes programmes is available publicly.A summary of housing expenditure under the Housing Corporation for the period 2000 - 2008 and the National Affordable Homes Programme 2008-11 is available through the National Archives website:http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20071204140632/http://www.housingcorp.gov.ukFor the Affordable Homes Programme 2011-2015:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/affordable-homes-programme-2011-to-2015-guidance-and-allocationsFor the Affordable Homes Programme 2015-2018:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/affordable-homes-programme-2015-to-2018-quarterly-updatesFor the Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme 2016-21:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/affordable-homes-programme-2016-to-2021-successful-biddersData for London only is available at:http://www.london.gov.uk/about-us/london-assembly/london-assembly-committees/budget-monitoring-sub-committeehttps://www.london.gov.uk/about-us/governance-and-spending/spending-money-wisely/annual-accounts-and-governance-statement

Families: Disadvantaged

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2017 to Question 108916, on families: disadvantaged, what the specified interval periods will be for reporting on the national evaluation.

Mr Marcus Jones: Findings from the national evaluation will be published in the Troubled Families Programme’s annual report.

Families: Disadvantaged

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2017 to Question 108916, on families: disadvantaged, when the decision was made to make the troubled families programme subject to a comprehensive national evaluation; and which Minister made that decision.

Mr Marcus Jones: The decision to make the current Troubled Families Programme (2015-2020) subject to a comprehensive national evaluation was made in October 2014, by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon.

Private Rented Housing: Electrical Safety

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2017 to Question 109734, on private rented housing: safety, if he will publish the minutes of the working group on electrical safety in the private rented sector.

Alok Sharma: The report and recommendations of the Private Rented Sector Electrical Safety Standards Working Group has been published online at the link below:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electrical-safety-standards-in-the-private-rented-sector-working-group-reportThe Working Group report draws together the views and opinions expressed by group members at each of the working group meetings.

Social Rented Housing: Disability

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2017 to Question 109733, on social rented housing: disability, how many adaptations were completed in each year since 2012-13.

Alok Sharma: The majority of local authorities provide annual data returns to the Department on how they use the Disabled Facilities Grant to provide adaptations to the homes of older and disabled people. While the data provides the best estimate currently available of the number of adaptations installed, the Government is aware that there are some limitations, for example, due to the local authority response rate not being 100 per cent and some differing interpretations of questions used to collect the data.The Government does not currently produce data on the Disabled Facilities Grant. However, the Department provides local authority returns to Foundations, the Government-funded national body for home improvement agencies. Foundations analyses the data to understand Disabled Facilities Grant delivery nationally.From records provided by Foundations, the data shows that the following numbers of adaptations, funded through the Disabled Facilities Grant, were delivered from 2012-13 to 2016-17:YearNumber of DFG-funded adaptations delivered2012-1342,1252013-1442,7702014-1540,6452015-1640,8002016-1749,000*Estimated total to 2016-17215,3402017-18Data returns expected October 2018 *estimate on the basis of local authority returns received to date.As in excess of 40,000 adaptations have been funded each year by the Disabled Facilities Grant, we anticipate the total number of adaptations to be around 250,000 by the end of the 2017-18 financial year.

Females: Homelessness

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to make an assessment of the provision of homeless accommodation specifically designed for women experiencing multi-disadvantages such as domestic violence and mental illness.

Mr Marcus Jones: We recognise that the needs of female rough sleepers can be different from male rough sleepers, and that many have complex needs arising from long-term trauma or abuse, including domestic violence. We are fully committed to ensuring that no victim of domestic abuse is turned away from the support they need. This commitment was made clear in the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy (VAWG), published on 8 March 2016.The Government’s VAWG strategy will set in motion a transformation of existing support for victims and their families through a landmark Domestic Abuse Bill. The Bill will recognise the life-long impact domestic abuse has on women and children and make sure agencies effectively respond to domestic abuse. We are determined to use this opportunity to build momentum and drive further reform in a way that will make a real and lasting difference to victims.We expect local authorities to commission services to meet the needs of all those in their local areas. Many commission female-only homelessness projects, which offer women the essential facilities and support needed to stop being homeless, in a safe space. For example, Westminster Council commissions the Marylebone Project, which provides female-only shelter, emotional support and educational opportunities.Central government is taking action through our Homelessness Prevention Programme that will provide end-to-end support for people who face a homelessness crisis. This is supporting 84 projects, involving 205 district and unitary authorities. A number of successful bids are targeting female rough sleepers in their area.

Supported Housing: Finance

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Government's funding supported housing consultation, published on 31 October 2017, and the Government's proposal for a ring-fenced local grant fund for supported housing, what steps the Government plans to take to ensure that such ring-fenced funding will be maintained in the future.

Mr Marcus Jones: Government recognises that supported housing is of vital importance to vulnerable people. The ring-fence for short term supported housing will be retained in the long term in order to protect this important provision and the vulnerable people it supports. Future funding for short-term accommodation will continue to take account of the costs of provision and demand for services in this part of the sector.Funding for the housing costs of sheltered, extra care housing and other long-term supported accommodation such as housing for people with learning or physical disabilities or mental ill health, will remain in the welfare system. This funding will be uncapped by Local Housing Allowance rates as these will no longer apply.

Supported Housing: Mental Illness

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Government's funding supported housing consultation, published on 31 October 2017, whether in the event that a tenant on a mental health supported housing scheme has an initial anticipated length of stay of less than two years, but this subsequently extends to more than two years within the same scheme, the Government proposes that such a tenant would move from one funding system to another.

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies on funding structures for short-term and long-term supported housing of the report by Rethink Mental Illness, Mental Health Supported Housing: Securing financial stability, supply and quality relating to the variety of length of stay of people within mental health supported housing.

Mr Marcus Jones: I have recently met with representatives of Rethink Mental Illness and have considered their report. In bringing forward our new model announced on 31 October, we listened carefully to the concerns raised from across the supported housing sector.We will continue to fund long-term supported accommodation, for example for people with long-term mental ill health, through the welfare system, with 100 per cent of housing costs, including rent and eligible service charges, being met (unless other benefit restrictions may apply to the individual involved). This funding will no longer be capped by Local Housing Allowance rates giving providers the certainty they need in order to invest in future supply.For short-term accommodation, all funding for rent and eligible service charges previously met by Housing Benefit, will instead be allocated to local authorities through a grant to funding the commissioning of provision at a local level. To protect short-term supported housing provision, we are ring-fencing this funding.We are also bringing in a new oversight regime, with a National Statement of Expectations, to set out clear standards and outline Government’s expectations over local planning, commissioning and services.We will continue to engage with the sector and stakeholders to seek their views on key elements of the reformed funding model. It is important that the model is responsive and will work for providers, tenants and clients.These new models ensure that everyone who would be eligible under the current system to have their housing costs met, will continue to be so, whether they are staying in short-term accommodation, long term accommodation or in transition between the two.

Supported Housing: Mental Illness

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he  has to address the shortfall in mental health supported housing.

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the current shortfall in mental health places in supported housing.

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's consultation paper, Funding supported housing, published on 31 October 2017, whether the current projections of future need take account of population growth and demographic changes.

Mr Marcus Jones: Government is committed to boosting the provision of much-needed supported housing. Since 2011, we have delivered 27,000 units of specialist and general housing for disabled, vulnerable and older people. We announced £400 million of funding through the Autumn 2015 Spending Review to deliver new specialist affordable homes. To date, the Department of Health has committed around £200 million to build over 6,000 supported homes through the Care and Support Specialised Housing (CASSH) Fund, again for older people, adults with physical disabilities, learning difficulties or mental health needs.Our new funding model, announced on 31 October, retains funding for the two types of long-term supported housing in the welfare system – that is housing primarily for older people and housing for those who need on-going support, like vulnerable people with long-term mental ill health. This will give providers the certainty they need in order to invest in future supply.In order to protect short-term supported housing provision, we are ring-fencing grant funding and intend to keep it ring-fenced into the long-term. Funding here will be at the same level it would have been through the welfare system in the first year of introduction of the new model in 2020-21. Budgets are not yet set for years beyond Spending Review settlements but future funding allocations for short-term accommodation will take account of the costs of provision and demand for services. Our assessment of this will take account of local authority strategic plans for supported housing - these plans will include local current and future needs and provision assessments. It will also take account of any modelling and projections of required future provision that may prove helpful including the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department of Health commissioned research by the Personal Social Services Research Unit of the London School of Economics (2017), Projected demand for supported housing in Great Britain 2015 to 2030, as referenced in our policy statement of 31 October.

Social Rented Housing: Evictions

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of people (a) served with a section 21 notice by a council or registered housing provider, who are universal credit claimants; and what information his Department holds on the number of people who have been served with such a notice as a result of delays in payment of a universal credit claim.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is not held by the Department.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2017 to Question 106692, how many children who lived in Grenfell Tower are living in hotel accommodation as of 6 November 2017.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Rented Housing: Disability

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2017 to Question 109733, whether the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety will include a review of the current guidance relating to safe means of exit for disabled residents in the event of an emergency.

Alok Sharma: The terms of reference for the independent review were published on 30 August and are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-of-building-regulations-and-fire-safety-terms-of-reference. It is for Dame Judith Hackitt to determine what to focus on in her report. The Government looks forward to considering and responding to her findings and recommendations.

Department for Communities and Local Government: Trade Unions

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 2 November 2017 to Question 109732, for what reasons there is a disparity between reference to discussions occurring with recognised trade unions throughout the year in the text of that Answer and the lack of recorded meetings in the documents provided in links to that Answer.

Mr Marcus Jones: The discussions referred to in the original response which take place throughout the year are conducted by departmental officials. The significant majority of these meetings are with trade union representatives who are employees of the Department and who act as workplace trade union representatives under the relevant provisions of employment law and civil service and departmental policies. Some of these meetings will involve national trade union officials. All such meetings will relate to internal departmental employee relations matters, as set out in our employee relations framework.If Ministers were to meet trade union representatives or officials then the relevant provisions for recording such meetings would be followed.

Department for Communities and Local Government: Living Wage

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of directly employed staff of (a) his Department, (b) its executive agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies are paid at least the real living wage.

Mr Marcus Jones: Information for DCLG, its executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies as of 31 October 2017.A hundred per cent of staff directly employed by my department earn at least the real living wage. Information on the Department's executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies may be found below:Organisation NameOrganisation Type% of Directly employed staff earning at least the real living wageDepartment for Communities and Local GovernmentMinisterial Department100%Queen Elizabeth II Conference CentreExecutive Agency100%Planning InspectorateExecutive Agency99%Housing Ombudsman ServiceExecutive Non-Departmental Public Body100%Leasehold Advisory ServiceExecutive Non-Departmental Public Body100%Valuation Tribunal ServiceExecutive Non-Departmental Public Body100%Ebbsfleet Development CorporationExecutive Non-Departmental Public Body100%Homes and Communities AgencyExecutive Non-Departmental Public Body99% The 10 directly employed staff earning less than the real living wage are either apprentices, earning at least government approved apprentice wage or Administrative Officers that were recently transferred in to the organisation from the private sector on TUPE terms and conditions.The Planning Inspectorate have seven directly employed staff earning less than the real living wage, all of whom are due to receive their contractually entitled pay award for 2017/18 backdated from 1 August 2017. Once this award has been approved and processed, 100 per cent of Planning Inspectorate employees will be paid at least the real living wage.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Nurseries

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what childcare facilities his Department makes available for its staff; how much his Department spent (a) overall and (b) per child on those facilities in the last 12 months; and how many of his Department's staff use those facilities.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly, all staff that join do so on assignment, loan or secondment from other government bodies, principally the Ministry of Justice and Scottish Government, who remain their employers. As such, the Scotland Office does not directly provide childcare facilities, however staff are able to access the facilities provided by their home departments.

NATO: Scotland

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what his Department's policy is on siting a possible NATO North Atlantic Command in Scotland.

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with (a) the Prime Minister, (b) the Secretary of State for Defence and (c) other Cabinet colleagues on the siting of a possible NATO North Atlantic Command in Scotland.

David Mundell: At their meeting on 8 and 9 November, NATO Defence Ministers agreed on the outline design for an adapted NATO Command Structure, which will be the basis for further work. This will include the establishment of a command for the Atlantic. No decisions on this command's location have yet been made. Scotland already hosts a number of key UK military capabilities that support NATO, including the Quick Reaction Alert at RAF Lossiemouth and the UK’s independent nuclear deterrent at HMNB Clyde.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Brexit

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's preparations for the UK leaving the EU with (a) an agreement on future partnership and (b) no agreement with the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: Following the referendum in June 2016, the Department for International Trade (DIT) continues to make rigorous preparations for a range of possible outcomes from the UK's negotiations with the EU. This is the job of a responsible government.This preparation includes consideration of possible alternatives to a negotiated agreement, to ensure continued prosperity for business, workers and consumers across the UK.

Overseas Trade

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the importance to international trade of the UK's current position as a point of entry to the EU single market.

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the value to businesses based in the US of the UK as a point of entry to the EU single market.

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the value to businesses based in South Korea of the UK as a point of entry to the EU single market.

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the value to businesses based in China  of the UK as a point of entry to the EU single market.

Greg Hands: Many non-UK firms recognise the excellent business environment in the UK, and choose to invest and operate here. The UK is a very attractive destination for all foreign investment, with open markets, a long-term track record on the rule of law, a transparent regulatory system, a simple and competitive tax system and a highly skilled labour force – and the World Bank rates us 7th for ease of doing business.As global champions of free and fair trade, we want to ensure that companies have the maximum freedom to trade and operate within European markets.The UK Government is committed to securing a deep and special partnership with the EU, including a bold and ambitious Free Trade Agreement.

USA: Internet

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions he has had with his US counterpart on section 230 of the US Communications Decency Act 1996.

Greg Hands: Department for International Trade indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

USA: Trade Agreements

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what his policy is on the potential inclusion of section 230 of the US Communications Decency Act 1996 in any US-UK free trade deal.

Greg Hands: Department for International Trade indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Trade Agreements: Africa

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that trade negotiations include low and middle-income countries in Africa when the UK leaves the EU.

Greg Hands: We are considering our future trading relationships with a broad range of partners as we prepare to leave the EU. The UK remains committed to ensuring developing countries can reduce poverty through enhanced trading opportunities. The Government’s priority is to deliver continuity in our trading arrangements, including with developing countries. We will seek to transition existing Economic Partnership Agreements with African, and also Pacific and Caribbean, countries and regions. We will establish a unilateral trade preference scheme which will, as a minimum, provide the same level of access to around 70 developing countries as the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences.

Trade Agreements: USA

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, on how many occasions (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department have met their counterparts in the US to discuss a UK-US free trade arrangement.

Greg Hands: The United States-UK bilateral trading relationship is an important one and vital to our economy. Total trade between the UK and US in 2016 totalled £167.6bn and both sides have committed to deepening our commercial relationship further.My Ministerial colleagues and I have regular contact with the US Administration, business representatives and others, including through our diplomatic missions in the United States, to support and increase investment and trade flows. To this end, we have established a Trade and Investment Working group dedicated to strengthening the bilateral trade and investment relationship between the UK and US.

Department for International Trade: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what proportion of his Department's spend in the last year has been with Government strategic suppliers.

Greg Hands: The Department for International Trade proportion of spend on strategic suppliers since its creation in July 2016 and March 2017 was approximately 2%.Please see the following link for a list of Government Strategic Suppliers: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/strategic-suppliers.

Generic Prescribing: Developing Countries

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he will take to protect access to generic medicines in low and middle-income countries when trade agreements are negotiated after the UK leaves the EU.

Greg Hands: The UK Government has a longstanding commitment to support developing countries to reduce poverty through trade and the UK continues to be committed to the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Doha Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health, which allows the world’s least developed countries to remain exempt from complying with certain intellectual property obligations on pharmaceuticals until 2033. The Doha declaration also reaffirms agreed flexibilities in the WTO’s intellectual property framework (TRIPS) that support access to medicines, including during public health emergencies in developing countries.We will ensure that our future trade deals respect and do not contravene the Doha Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health.

Trade Promotion

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what reporting mechanism the Government has in place for its trade envoys.

Greg Hands: The Prime Minister’s Trade Envoys are asked to report back to my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade after each visit they undertake in the role. The Department for International Trade teams based in the Trade Envoy markets, also collate any business successes the Trade Envoys have been involved with, which is reported back on a quarterly basis.

World Trade Organisation

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if the UK will be required to reapply to the World Trade Organisation after the UK has left the EU.

Greg Hands: The UK has been a Member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) since its founding in 1995. In exiting the EU, we do not need to reapply for WTO Membership, but do need to update the terms of our Membership where, at present, our commitments are applied through the EU as a whole. To minimise disruption to our trading relationships with other WTO Members, the Government is preparing the necessary schedules that replicate as far as possible our current obligations.

Trade Promotion

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the dates of appointment and end of appointment are of the Prime Minister's special trade envoys.

Greg Hands: The Prime Minister’s Trade Envoys have no formal end date for the role, however each position is reviewed after a general election and the Prime Minister then decides whether a Trade Envoy is appointed/re-appointed. After the last general election, all existing Trade Envoys were re-appointed. The attached table shows the dates which the current Prime Minister’s Trade Envoys were appointed to their respective markets.



Trade Envoys
(Word Document, 16.23 KB)

Women and Equalities

Government Equalities Office: Nurseries

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what childcare facilities her Department makes available for its staff; how much her Department spent (a) overall and (b) per child on those facilities in the last 12 months; and how many of her Department's staff use those facilities.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The department has no childcare facilities on its estate. There are two schemes in place, salary sacrifice and salary plus, which assist staff with childcare costs. Many staff will also be eligible for the 30 hours’ free childcare offer for three and four year olds.

Equality and Human Rights Commission

Matt Western: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will review the management and funding of the Equality and Human Rights Commission after recent redundancies.

Nick Gibb: The Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is allocated an overall annual budget, which is £19.3m in the current financial year. Funding for EHRC’s staffing is included within that budget and decisions on staffing requirements are matters for the EHRC as an independent public body. We intend to carry out a review of the EHRC in 2018 as part of the standard “tailored review” programme for public bodies, and governance and funding are among the issues which we expect this review to cover.

Abortion: Northern Ireland

Maria Caulfield: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Written Statement of 23 October 2017, on equalities, HCWS192, whether her Department consulted with (a) Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly and (b) hon. Members on extending the Northern Ireland abortion scheme to include provision for free travel to an abortion provider in England for Northern Ireland residents from low income backgrounds before making that statement.

Anne Milton: The provision of abortion services in England for women from Northern Ireland is a matter for the Government. There is no legal requirement to consult on this specific aspect of the scheme, and no formal consultation took place. Patients in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland who meet financial hardship criteria are eligible for support with travel costs for NHS treatments. There is no justification to exclude women from Northern Ireland from this scheme. This does not change the position in relation to the provision of abortions in Northern Ireland, which is a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive and the Northern Ireland Assembly. Our proposals do not include the provision of any services in Northern Ireland.

Abortion: Northern Ireland

Maria Caulfield: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Written Statement of 23 October 2017, on equalities, HCWS192, with which organisations she consulted on extending the Northern Ireland abortion scheme to include provision for free travel to an abortion provider in England for Northern Ireland residents from low income backgrounds before making that statement.

Anne Milton: The provision of abortion services in England for women from Northern Ireland is a matter for the Government. There is no legal requirement to consult on this specific aspect of the scheme, and no formal consultation took place. Patients in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland who meet financial hardship criteria are eligible for support with travel costs for NHS treatments. There is no justification to exclude women from Northern Ireland from this scheme. This does not change the position in relation to the provision of abortions in Northern Ireland, which is a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive and the Northern Ireland Assembly. Our proposals do not include the provision of any services in Northern Ireland.

Abortion: Northern Ireland

Maria Caulfield: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Written Statement of 23 October 2017, on equalities, HCWS192, how many women her Department estimates will travel from Northern Ireland to England for an abortion in the (a) 2017-18, (b) 2018-19, (c) 2019-20 and (d) 2020-21 financial years.

Anne Milton: During 2016 over 700 women from Northern Ireland travelled to England for an abortion. We expect this number to rise initially.

Abortion: Northern Ireland

Maria Caulfield: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Written Statement of 23 October 2017, on Equalities, HCWS 192, what the estimated annual cost is of providing a central booking service for the provisions of free travel to an abortion provider in England for Northern Ireland residents in the (a) 2017-18, (b) 2018-19, (c) 2019-20 and (d) 2020-21 financial years.

Anne Milton: Grant applications to provide a central booking service are currently being considered by the Department of Health.

Equality and Human Rights Commission: Staff

Chris Stephens: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions has she had with the Equalities and Human Rights Commission on the number of (a) redundancies, (b) planned redundancies, (c) vacancies and (d) agency workers employed at the Commission; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Equality and Human Rights Commission is an independent public body and decisions on staffing requirements are operational matters for the Commission itself. I have therefore asked the Commission’s Chief Executive Officer to write to the hon. Member for Glasgow South West (Chris Stephens) with the information requested in (a)-(d) of the question. I will place a copy of the letter in the libraries of both Houses.

Department for Transport

Department of Transport: Nurseries

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what childcare facilities his Department makes available for its staff; how much his Department spent (a) overall and (b) per child on those facilities in the last 12 months; and how many of his Department's staff use those facilities.

Mr John Hayes: The Department provides a 50% subsidy for a holiday play-scheme for London-based staff. In the last twelve months this was used by six staff at a total cost of £245 (£17.50 per child per day). The DVLA has an on-site nursery facility and offers a school holiday play-scheme for staff in Swansea. The combined facility caters for up to 120 children. No money has been spent on the facility in the last 12 months as the DVLA provides the building to its service provider, which allows them to provide childcare at a reduced cost to staff. 149 staff are registered to use the nursery facility and on average about 38 staff make use of the play-scheme.

Railways

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans there are to improve capacity and speed on rail connections between Sheffield and Manchester.

Paul Maynard: As part of the Great North Rail Project, the Hope Valley and Dore capacity schemes will increase track capacity to allow a more frequent service, accommodating three fast trains an hour between Manchester and Sheffield. This scheme is currently subject to a Transport and Works Act Order application, to which the Department is currently considering. In addition, the Government is fully committed to Northern Powerhouse Rail, which aims to dramatically improve connections between major cities across the North of England. A large range of options are under development, and we expect to receive a business case from Transport for the North by the end of 2018.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if the Government will facilitate testing and limited commercial trials of personal delivery devices to attract high technology companies to the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The Government is already facilitating the trials of automated vehicle technologies through the world leading Code of Practice. Any such trials must comply with all UK law.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential of semi-autonomous personal delivery devices to (a) reduce emissions and congestion and (b) assist those with mobility issues to enjoy increased independence; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The Government has not made any such assessment, and has no plans to do so at this time.

Aviation: Tickets

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the barriers to through-ticketing for luggage across different airlines and within individual airlines.

Mr John Hayes: Whether an airline offers through-ticketing in a liberalised market, either within its own network or through interlining agreements with other airlines, is a commercial decision. As such, no assessment has been made. However, if an airline sells through-tickets, it will include the carriage of baggage to the final destination. We have begun the process of developing a new strategy for UK aviation. One of the objectives of this strategy will be to help the industry work for its consumers. If there are issues around baggage that the Government can help to resolve, we will seek to address them through this process.

Department of Transport: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of his Department's spend in the last year has been with Government strategic suppliers.

Mr John Hayes: My department’s proportion of spend with Government Strategic suppliers in the last year 16/17 was 15.6% of our total procurement spend. DFTcDVLADVSAMCAVCADFT GroupProportion of spend14.6%18.0%27.9%5.7%1.5%15.6% These numbers are calculated using the total procurement (net) spend from Bravo spend analytics software with the Strategic suppliers divided by the total procurement spend across all suppliers and given as a percentage.

Public Transport: Ombudsman

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it is his Department's policy to establish a passenger ombudsman.

Paul Maynard: The Government is fully committed to ensuring the introduction of a new, independent and effective Rail passenger Ombudsman to investigate and rule on unresolved customer complaints. Good progress is being made, with the Rail Delivery Group, working with Transport Focus, London TravelWatch and the Office of Rail and Road, having started the tender process to procure a specialist ombudsman provider to run the scheme from next year.

Shipping: Minimum Wage

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the Legal Working Group on Seafarers and the national minimum wage.

Mr John Hayes: I meet regularly with my Ministerial colleagues to discuss Maritime matters and will have formal discussions on this issue when I receive the final recommendation.

Transport: Staff

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many full-time equivalent staff are currently employed by (a) Transport for London, (b) Transport for the North and (c) Rail North.

Jesse Norman: There is no proper direct comparison to be drawn between these organisations in relation to staff numbers. The function of Transport for London is to manage transport strategy and operations across multiple modes, including London Underground, London Overground, buses, the Docklands Light Railway and strategic roads in the capital. Transport for the North has no responsibility for the operational delivery of transport services. Its important role is to provide a strategic transport vision for the North. The functions of Rail North, under a March 2015 partnership agreement with the Department for Transport, are to co-manage the Northern and TransPennine Express rail franchises, and to advise the Department for Transport on the development and delivery of its rail enhancement programme in the North of England.

Railways: Electrification

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 20 July 2017, HCWS85, on rail update, which models of (a) electric trains which would have been used on the lines will no longer be electrified and (b) bi-mode trains will now be used on those lines.

Paul Maynard: This Government is committed to using the best available technology to improve journey for passengers across the country – both through infrastructure works and new and refurbished rolling stock. Electrification and bi-mode operation are not mutually exclusive. The Government is already taking advantage of the opportunities bi-mode trains presented by their ability to work across the network. Great Western: From October 2017, passengers in Wales began to benefit from new bi-mode Intercity Express trains which will each deliver over 130 more seats, faster journey times and improved connectivity for south Wales to London with 40% more seats in the morning peak once the full fleet is in service. Midland Main Line: Electrification of the whole route would have meant passengers waiting longer for new trains, as well as having more disruption to their journeys. We will use the competition for the next operator of the East Midlands franchise to determine the precise model of train along the route. Windermere: From May 2018, Northern will operate the route between Oxenholme and Windermere with a Class 319 flex, otherwise known as a Class 769. This is a bi-mode train, adapted from a former electric-only train which will be able to run under its own power as well. Northern, the train operator, is looking at a number of technologies to improve journeys for passengers on this route and to protect the environment in this World Heritage Site.

Rolling Stock: North of England

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 20 July 2017, HCSW85, on rail update, whether an assessment has been carried out on the potential effect of bi-modal train technology on (a) levels of nitrogen oxides and (b) air pollution levels in the north of England.

Paul Maynard: This Government is committed to a cleaner rail network. Better trains and upgraded infrastructure will also take polluting cars and lorries off our roads – reducing the overall carbon footprint of UK transport – making our air cleaner than before. This is taken into account when assessing the case for investment. Modern trains are much more fuel efficient and produce fewer emissions and we expect the new bi-mode trains to deliver an overall better environmental performance than the existing diesel trains. We will be asking Northern to immediately explore alternative fuel options to further protect the Lake District National Park.

Highways England: Expenditure

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much Highways England's Growth and Housing Fund spent in each NUTS 1 region of England and Wales in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Jesse Norman: Highways England does not record expenditure by NUTS 1 region.

Bus Services

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the statistical release Annual Bus Services: England 2015-16, if he will set out bus mileage figures for (a) local authority supported services and (b) commercial services for each NUTS 1 region in England in each year since 2009-10.

Jesse Norman: The attached tables give bus mileage on local bus services split by region and service type ((a) local authority supported services and (b) commercial services) for the years 2009/10 to 2015/16.



Tables giving bus mileage on local bus services
(Excel SpreadSheet, 11.6 KB)

Oxford-Didcot Railway Line: Electrification

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on funding for rail electrification between Didcot and Oxford.

Paul Maynard: The Secretary of State has regular discussions on a variety of matters with the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Network Rail is delivering the Great Western Electrification Programme to the dates set out in the latest publication of their Enhancement Delivery plan. This includes completing electrification of the Great Western Mainline between Oxford and Didcot by the end of Control Period 6 in 2024, subject to ongoing assessment and investment decisions. Network Rail’s Enhancement Delivery plan can be found at the following link:https://cdn.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Enhancements-Delivery-Plan.pdf

East Midlands Rail Franchise

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative assessment he has made of the seating capacity provided by the Meridian and HST trains servicing the East Midlands franchise and bi-mode trains which will replace those trains.

Paul Maynard: When we release the Invitation to Tender for the next East Midlands Franchise, the minimum on-train capacity requirements for the franchise will be considered in the specification for the bidders. It will then be for the successful bidder for the next East Midlands Franchise to fulfil and exceed these requirements.

Furness Railway Line

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will mandate Northern Rail to operate replacement buses on the Furness line in circumstances where cancelled or reduced services affect children's ability to travel to and from school.

Paul Maynard: Northern are already obliged by their Franchise Agreement to use all reasonable endeavours to provide or secure the provision of alternative transport arrangements to enable passengers affected by any disruption to complete their intended journeys. This includes ensuring that alternative transport arrangements are of reasonable quality and of a reasonably similar frequency to the advertised timetable. Officials will raise this specific concern on the Furness Line with the operator.

Shipping: Minimum Wage

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the final recommendations from the Legal Working Group on seafarers and the national minimum wage are.

Mr John Hayes: I expect to receive the final recommendation from the Group before Christmas and it will then be put in the public domain in the normal course of business.

Merchant Shipping: Qualifications

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on the administration of the Certificate of Competency process for seafarers.

Mr John Hayes: I meet regularly with the Chief Executive and senior staff at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). The MCA is responsible for the administration of the Certificates of Competency arrangements for seafarers. I understand that the MCA has a service level agreement to issue Certificates of Competence within an agreed timescale.

Merchant Shipping: Qualifications

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average waiting time was for an oral examination required to obtain a seafarers' Certificate of Competency in the last 12 months; and what the average waiting time was for that exam in each of the previous 10 years for which figures are available.

Mr John Hayes: The Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA) does not currently record the average waiting time for an oral examination required to obtain a seafarers’ Certificate of Competency. Candidates or their Nautical College book an examination to fit a study plan. The MCA works with the colleges to meet the needs of an individual candidate. The MCA has improved the services it offers to seafarers and ship owners including a target of offering 95% of oral examinations within 21 days of request by a candidate holding a valid Notice of Eligibility.

Bus Services: West Yorkshire

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress he has made on the Quality Bus Contract Scheme in West Yorkshire.

Jesse Norman: The Bus Services Act 2017 repealed Quality Bus Contract schemes, and introduced new powers, such as partnerships or franchising, to enable authorities and operators to work together to improve local bus services and grow bus passenger numbers. It is a matter for the Combined Authority to determine the way in which they use the powers in the Act to work with operators in their area. The Department plans to publish regulations and associated guidance on the implementation of partnerships or franchising later this autumn.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Sudan: Human Rights

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the UK is giving to human rights defenders working in Sudan.

Rory Stewart: Sudan is a Human Rights Priority Country for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, and we remain concerned about the human rights situation in Sudan. We used the fourth round of the UK-Sudan Strategic Dialogue to agree steps that the Government of Sudan would take to further progress on human rights issues, and to raise again our concerns.We welcomed the recent release and pardoning of six human rights activists, including Dr Mudawi Ibrahim Adam, an issue on which we actively lobbied the Government of Sudan. However, a number of human rights challenges remain. The UK will continue to be a strong advocate of the work that human rights defenders do in Sudan. Our Embassy in Khartoum maintains a regular dialogue with the Government of Sudan on human rights issues, and we will continue to lobby them on individual cases of particular concern.

Gambia: Commonwealth

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support The Gambia to rejoin the Commonwealth.

Rory Stewart: The process for The Gambia's re-entry into the Commonwealth is being led by the Commonwealth Secretariat. We have been consistent and vocal in our support. Our High Commission in Banjul met the Commonwealth Secretariat's assessment mission in September and is engaging with the Government and other member states' representatives on the ground as the process moves forward. We look forward to welcoming The Gambia to the Commonwealth Summit next year.

Department for International Development: Israel

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he was made aware of meetings in Israel held by the Secretary of State for International Development in August 2017; and what information he has since been given about what was discussed at those meetings.

Alistair Burt: It is longstanding practice under successive Governments that we do not routinely disclose information relating to internal discussion and advice. My right hon. Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. I refer the Hon Member to the exchange of letters between my right hon. Friend and the Prime Minister on her resignation; and to the statement issued by my right hon. Friend on 6 November, a copy of which is available on the gov.uk website.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what proportion of his Department's spend in the last year has been with Government strategic suppliers.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​In FY16-17 ​the Department spent 10 per cent through Government Crown Commercial Service (CCS) Strategic Suppliers.

Gambia: Politics and Government

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the Gambia's transition to democracy.

Rory Stewart: The Government continues to support The Gambia's transition to democracy. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is funding a special advisor in the Minister of Justice's office to drive forward constitutional, institutional and legal reforms, as well as providing human rights training to the State Intelligence Service as part of the wider agenda on security sector reform. We are considering how we can build on the recent activities undertaken by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK and Westminster Foundation for Democracy in strengthening good governance and transparency in Parliament.

Raif Badawi

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department have met their counterparts in the (i) EU and (ii) US to discuss the case of Raif Badawi in the last 12 months.

Alistair Burt: ​The UK Government is extremely concerned about the case of Raif Badawi. The UK Government understands the case is still under consideration in the Saudi Supreme Court, but we do not expect further lashes to be administered. Saudi Arabia remains a Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) human rights priority country and we raise our concerns with the Saudi Arabian authorities using a range of Ministerial and diplomatic channels of communication, including our Ambassador, the Embassy and the European Union delegation in Riyadh. FCO officials in Riyadh meet regularly with their EU and US counterparts to discuss this case and other cases of concern.

Commonwealth

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans his Department has to ensure that Commonwealth nations help to tackle economic problems and to embed democracy in (a) the Gambia and (b) other low and middle-income countries; and if he will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: The British Government believes that the Commonwealth is a force for good around the world, through its promotion of democracy, the rule of law, good governance and economic development, as enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter. The 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in London will encourage all members to uphold these valuesAs the Prime Minister set out in September, the key goals of the summit will include promoting democracy and boosting prosperity across the Commonwealth, including in low and middle-income countries. We want to see The Gambia fully included as part of that wider effort.

Antarctic: Nature Conservation

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how the Government is working with international partners to ensure that the wildlife in the Antarctic region is protected from expanding krill fisheries.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK is a proactive member of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) which is responsible for developing and implementing measures for the conservation of marine life in the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica.Krill harvesting is managed in a precautionary manner based on robust scientific data. The current annual catch is around 0.3 percent of the unexploited biomass of the krill population in this region, ensuring there is a healthy breeding population and enough for predators such as penguins and whales.UK scientists have been working with other CCAMLR Members to assess any wider ecosystem impacts from krill harvesting, and have encouraged the Association of Responsible Krill (ARK) fishing companies to request their member vessels avoid fishing near biologically sensitive areas, such as penguin breeding colonies.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will (a) discuss with the Moroccan Ambassador to the UK and (b) instruct the UK Ambassador in Rabat to investigate the reasons for the expulsion of five MEPs from the Non-Self-Governing Territory of Western Sahara.

Alistair Burt: ​This is primarily a matter for the European Parliament and the Moroccan authorities to resolve, although we understand that the group of Members of the European Parliament were not visiting in an official capacity. I therefore have no current plans to raise this issue with the Moroccan Ambassador. The UK's longstanding position is to support the efforts of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to achieve a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution to the situation in Western Sahara, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara in the context of arrangements consistent with the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations.

Malaysia: Christianity

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Malaysian counterpart for the Malaysian Human Rights Commission Public Inquiry to consider the abductions of Christians over the last two years.

Mark Field: I understand the Malaysian Human Rights Commission recently launched a public inquiry into the disappearance of four Malaysians, including two Christian pastors. As my predecessor, Alok Sharma, set out on 24 April, the UK remains greatly concerned by the disappearance of Christians in Malaysia, and has discussed the case of Pastor Koh with civil society representatives. The UK remains firmly committed to standing up for the freedom of all individuals, both religious and non-religious, so that they may practice their beliefs free from fear. We have regular dialogue with Malaysia on human rights and we shall continue to follow developments in this area closely. I joined fellow parliamentarians in the House on 26 October for a debate to mark International Freedom of Religion or Belief Day, where these issues were further addressed. ​

Sultan Masih

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Indian Government on the murder of Sultan Masih in the North Western State of Pubjab; and what progress is being made to bring the people responsible for that murder to justice.

Mark Field: The British Government condemns all instances of discrimination and violence against individuals or groups because of their religion, regardless of the country or faith concerned.The UK Government engages regularly with Indian counterparts on a range of human rights issues, including religious freedom and minority rights, as guaranteed under the Indian Constitution. The British High Commission in New Delhi and Deputy High Commissions across India maintain a continuous assessment of the human rights situation in India and hold a regular dialogue with the Indian National Commission for Minorities.FCO officials in New Delhi also regularly meet senior faith leaders (including Christians) to discuss matters such as religious tolerance, including most recently in September with Muslim, Jain and LGBT groups. The British Government also oversees a number of projects in India to help promote minority rights and combat discrimination.

British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies: Tax Avoidance

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which heads of Government in the (a) Overseas Territories and (b) Crown dependencies he has contacted since the release of the Paradise Papers.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

North Korea: Sanctions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to paragraph 23 of UN Security Council Resolution 2371, what recent assessment he has made of the progress toward implementation of Interpol-UN Security Council special notices on sanctions on North Korea.

Boris Johnson: The UN Security Council Committee pursuant to resolution 1718, overseeing the sanctions measures imposed by the Security Council on North Korea, is responsible for working with Interpol on the issuing of Special Notices on designated individuals. The UK continues to give its full support to the 1718 Committee and related UN Panel of Experts in fulfilling all of their growing responsibilities, including putting these arrangements in place with Interpol.

Kim Jong-nam

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterparts in other countries on the implementation of the red notice issued by Interpol in relation to persons suspected of involvement in the death of Kim Jong Nam in Malaysia on 13 February 2017; and what recent assessment he has made of progress towards locating and extraditing such persons in accordance with that red notice.

Boris Johnson: ​We have encouraged the Government of Malaysia through our High Commission to pursue a thorough investigation into the death of Kim Jong-nam. We await the outcome of the ongoing trial.We continue to impress upon partners the importance of North Korea upholding their responsibility as members of the international community to their legal obligations.

North Korea: Cybercrime

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the recent claim by the head of Microsoft that the Government of North Korea was responsible for the WannaCry cyber attack in May 2017.

Boris Johnson: Various sources have attributed the WannaCry campaign to North Korean actors. The National Crime Agency and the National Cyber Security Centre are working with international law enforcement and industry partners to find those responsible and protect victims.

Islamic State: War Crimes

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 21 November 2017 to Question 53422, on Islamic State: war crimes, what evidence has been gathered and preserved by the UN.

Alistair Burt: Investigative and prosecutorial work is already underway across the world to bring Daesh to justice. The UK is at the forefront of global efforts to bring Daesh to justice, securing a UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR 2379) which will establish an Investigative Team to collect, preserve and store evidence of Daesh crimes, beginning in Iraq. The UK has committed £1m to the establishment of this team.In Syria, UK Conflict, Security and Stabilisation funding is supporting the investigation, and collection of evidence, of sexual and gender-based violence. We are also supporting and have funded (£200,000) the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) which has been established to prepare evidence for future prosecutions. In Iraq, the UK is supporting projects to document and preserve evidence of gender based violence.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance his Department gave to the Secretary of State for International Development during his visit to Israel in August 2017.

Alistair Burt: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office did not provide any assistance to my right hon. Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel), former Secretary of State for International Development, during her private visit to Israel in August 2017.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he or Ministers of his Department became aware of the visit of the Secretary of State for International Development to Israel in August 2017.

Alistair Burt: ​It is longstanding practice under successive Governments that we do not routinely disclose information relating to internal discussion and advice. My right hon. Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. I refer the Hon Member to the exchange of letters between my right hon. Friend and the Prime Minister on her resignation; and to the statement issued by my right hon. Friend on 6 November, a copy of which is available on the gov.uk website.

Ministers: Conduct

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Cabinet colleagues routinely inform him about any meetings they might have with foreign government ministers and officials.

Alistair Burt: The Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Secretary to look at the Ministerial Code and to make recommendations on how the wording could be clarified in certain areas.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he first became aware that the Secretary of State for International Development was meeting Israeli Government Ministers and officials.

Alistair Burt: ​It is longstanding practice under successive Governments that we do not routinely disclose information relating to internal discussion and advice. My right hon. Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. I refer the Hon Member to the exchange of letters between my right hon. Friend and the Prime Minister on her resignation; and to the statement issued by my right hon. Friend on 6 November, a copy of which is available on the gov.uk website.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he became aware of the Secretary of State for International Development's discussions with Israeli Government Ministers and officials on potential Government aid to the Israeli Defence Force.

Alistair Burt: ​It is longstanding practice under successive Governments that we do not routinely disclose information relating to internal discussion and advice. My right hon. Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. I refer the Hon Member to the exchange of letters between my right hon. Friend and the Prime Minister on her resignation; and to the statement issued by my right hon. Friend on 6 November, a copy of which is available on the gov.uk website.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when and how the British Embassy in Israel became aware of the meeting involving the Secretary of State for International Development and Israeli Government Ministers and officials and in Israel in August 2017.

Alistair Burt: ​It is longstanding practice under successive Governments that we do not routinely disclose information relating to internal discussion and advice. My right hon. Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. I refer the Hon Member to the exchange of letters between my right hon. Friend and the Prime Minister on her resignation; and to the statement issued by my right hon. Friend on 6 November, a copy of which is available on the gov.uk website.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when and how his Department first became aware of Secretary of State for International Development's meetings with Israeli Government Ministers and officials between 13 and 25 August 2017.

Alistair Burt: ​It is longstanding practice under successive Governments that we do not routinely disclose information relating to internal discussion and advice. My right hon. Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. I refer the Hon Member to the exchange of letters between my right hon. Friend and the Prime Minister on her resignation; and to the statement issued by my right hon. Friend on 6 November, a copy of which is available on the gov.uk website.

Department for International Development

Department for International Development: Israel

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will list the meetings she held in Israel during August 2017; who was present at those meetings; and what was discussed at each of those meetings.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. I refer the Hon Gentleman to the exchange of letters between my Rt Hon Friend and my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister on her resignation; and to the statement issued by my Rt Hon Friend on 6 November:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/statement-from-international-development-secretary-priti-patel

Department for International Development: Israel

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what meetings she has had in Israel with which officials since June 2017.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. I refer the Hon Lady to the exchange of letters between my Rt Hon Friend and my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister on her resignation; and to the statement issued by my Rt Hon Friend on 6 November:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/statement-from-international-development-secretary-priti-patel

Department for International Development: Palestinians

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what meetings she has had in the West Bank with Palestinian Authority officials since June 2017.

Penny Mordaunt: The Department holds no information about meetings between my Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham in the West Bank with Palestinian Authority officials since June 2017.

Syria: Humanitarian Aid

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of humanitarian airdrops in Eastern Ghouta in the event that the Assad regime continues to block UN land access for aid provision.

Alistair Burt: Aid delivered by road by trusted humanitarian partners is by far the most effective way to meet needs in Eastern Ghouta and to ensure that it reaches those most in need. Airdrops are high risk and not capable of delivering many of the types of aid on a scale that could meet key needs there (e.g. safe drinking water, shelter, health support). Crucially, the consent is needed of those who control the airspace and those on the ground that could threaten aircraft. There is nothing to suggest that the Assad regime would provide such consent if it remained intent on blocking land access.

Department for International Development: Telephone Services

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which public telephone lines for her Department's services are charged at higher rates; and how much was taken by each such telephone line in the last 12 months.

Rory Stewart: DFID do not operate any premium / higher charge rate telephone lines.

Developing Countries: Malaria

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding her Department has allocated to programmes combating malaria in each of the last five financial years; and whether her Department plans to protect the current level of funding in real terms over the next five financial years.

Alistair Burt: DFID tackles malaria through bilateral programmes in countries, research, multilateral funding to the Global Fund and the World Health Organisation, and through activities such as strengthening health systems in endemic countries. DFID is currently the second largest global funder of the effort against malaria and expects to remain a leading global donor in the future.DFID’s level of spend on direct malaria control activities and multilateral contributions for 2011-2015, including the £1.1 billion investment in the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, are published as part of “Data underlying Statistics on International Development” alongside wider DFID and UK Government spending. DFID’s estimates of total UK Government malaria spend take into account the broader activities to tackle malaria, and show spend of £499m for 2016/17.

Developing Countries: Malaria

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to contain the spread of treatment-resistant strains of malaria in developing countries.

Alistair Burt: Drug resistance, along with insecticide resistance, poses a real threat to recent progress in tackling malaria. As a leading global funder of efforts to tackle malaria, DFID is taking action through research funding, bilateral programmes, together with our substantial funding to multilateral institutions such as the Global Fund. This support improves the quality of drug management programmes. We are also responding to the threat by providing funding for the development of new, effective, drugs.

Overseas Aid: Cost Effectiveness

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will publish the joint value for money guidance for UK Official Development Assistance agreed with HM Treasury to complement Managing Public Money.

Rory Stewart: UK Official Development Assistance value for money guidance is a routine internal Her Majesty’s Government document which signposts Official Development Assistance spending departments to a range of other sets of guidance in the public domain. These include the UK Aid Strategy, Managing Public Money, HM Treasury’s Green and Magenta Books, Cabinet Office Public Procurement Policy Guidance and Commercial Operating Standards, DFID Smart Rules, Overseas Security and Justice Assistance guidance, Aid Transparency Index indicators, Consolidated Budgeting Guidelines, Government Reporting Manual and The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development / Development Assistance Committee directives.

Developing Countries: Tuberculosis

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with her US counterpart on the potential effect of proposed reductions in the State Department's budget on global efforts to combat TB in developing countries.

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what representations she has made to her counterpart in the US on that country's commitment to combatting TB in developing countries.

Alistair Burt: The UK and US work together closely on the Board of the Global Fund which is the largest international financer of TB care globally. There is also significant DFID-USAID collaboration, at official and Ministerial level, on global health programmes and policies, including joint funding arrangements at country level and joint engagement on international partnerships. The previous Secretary of State has had significant engagement with her US counterpart, USAID Administrator Mark Green. They had agreed to hold the next UK/US strategic dialogue on development in early 2018; while the exact date has not yet been confirmed it is likely to be in January or February.

Developing Countries: Malaria

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the programmes which it funds to support the distribution of malaria nets do not use insecticides to which mosquitos have become resistant.

Alistair Burt: The UK funds the distribution of bednets primarily through the Global Fund, and through direct procurement in some countries. The World Health Organisation tests and certifies the efficacy of new insecticide products such as bednets and both the Global Fund and our goods and equipment supplier only procure WHO approved bednets.

Gaza: Schools

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2017 to Question 108373, what the names are of the 13 schools in Gaza directly funded by the UK in December 2011.

Alistair Burt: The names of the 13 schools directly funded by the UK in Gaza and managed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) are as follows:Nuseirat Preparatory Boys SchoolSchool in Khirbat Al-AddasRafah Elementary Co-ed SchoolSingle Sided School in Khan Younis Camp North Block GPreparatory Boys School in Tel El-Sultan, RafahNuseirat Al-Muftee Preparatory Boys SchoolJabalia Elementary Boys SchoolNuseirat Al-Muftee Parcel 1 (Preparatory Girls & Elementary Co-ed School)School at MoghragaJohr El-Deek Elementary Co-ed SchoolKhuza'a Preparatory Boys SchoolRafah Preparatory “F” Boys SchoolPreparatory Boys School at Beach Elementary Boys "A&B" School

Syria: Overseas Aid

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches civilians in the beseized area of East Ghouta.

Alistair Burt: DFID’s humanitarian partners are on the ground in Eastern Ghouta providing life-saving healthcare and food. However, the Assad regime is besieging the area, preventing the delivery of new supplies. This is leading to a deterioration in already dire humanitarian conditions, with reports of growing food shortages and cases of acute malnutrition. We are using our position on the UN Security Council, and in the International Syria Support Group, to press the regime and its backers to allow unfettered access so that aid can reach those in desperate need.

Syria: Overseas Aid

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how the Government is fulfilling its commitment as set out by the Grand Bargain where the UK pledged continuous leadership to provide education for children in crises and support to all partners who have extensive access to parts of Syria which have suffered the worst of the current crisis.

Alistair Burt: The UK is working with the UN and other donors to translate the Grand Bargain commitments made at the World Humanitarian Summit into action, including through its response to the Syria crisis. The UK plays a leading role in providing education in crises. We helped launch UNICEF’s No Lost Generation Initiative, which provides education, protection, and mental health support for children affected by the Syria crisis. In 2016/2017 alone, DFID helped provide over 350,000 children in Syria with access to formal primary education and over 80,000 with access to non-formal education.

Syria: Internally Displaced People

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support internally displaced persons, including women and children, in the Syrian conflict.

Alistair Burt: Following the liberation of Raqqa City, we are helping to clear landmines and explosives to enable those displaced to return to their homes safely as soon as possible. However, for the majority of internally displaced people in Syria to return home safely there must be an end to the conflict and a credible political settlement. In the meantime, the UK is providing food, healthcare, water and other life-saving relief to vulnerable Syrians, including internally displaced people, across the country.

Syria: Children

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support children with disabilities in Syria.

Alistair Burt: The UK’s humanitarian aid programme in Syria seeks to meet the needs of those in most need, including vulnerable groups such as disabled children. This includes providing tailored support for children with behavioural and physical disabilities through specialist paediatric centres.

Nigeria: Overseas Aid

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the UK response to the humanitarian crisis in Nigeria.

Rory Stewart: This year alone, the UK will have provided 1 million people in north east Nigeria with life-saving food assistance, supported 532,000 people to access clean water and 196,000 to access health care. The UK stepped up early with humanitarian support, saving thousands of lives and protecting the most vulnerable. We constantly monitor the effectiveness of our support and a full review is undertaken annually and published on DFID’s website.

Burma: Overseas Aid

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of UK aid to Rakhine State and Myanmar.

Alistair Burt: DFID officials have made a number of visits to Rakhine in the past two months and have regularly updated Ministers. Aid workers have been getting UK-funded humanitarian assistance to some people in parts of Rakhine State, however access remains extremely restricted in northern Rakhine. The UK has provided £1 million to the Red Cross in Burma, which is currently the only aid organisation permitted to provide humanitarian support in Northern Rakhine. We continue to press the Burmese government to end violence, allow full humanitarian access, and to implement the recommendations of Kofi Annan’s Rakhine Advisory Commission to address the underlying causes of violence and under-development.DFID constantly monitors how we support the UK’s Burma strategy objectives of supporting peace, democracy and an open economy. We have been successful in reaching and improving the lives of many poor and marginalised people in Burma, many of whom have suffered decades of conflict.

Syria: Overseas Aid

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of UK aid to Syria.

Alistair Burt: UK aid is making a real difference, providing life-saving and life-changing support to millions of people inside Syria, and millions more who have taken refuge in neighbouring countries.Since 2012, across Syria and the region, UK aid has delivered over 26 million food rations that feed a person for a month, 10.3 million medical consultations, 9.8 million relief packages, and over 8 million vaccines.

Developing Countries: Drugs

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department has taken to ensure that the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative provides for products that are affordable for patients.

Alistair Burt: DFID supports DNDi because its operational model puts the needs of patients at the heart of what it does and builds in equitable and affordable access to the end product from the outset. DNDi includes these approaches in its contractual relationships with industrial partners and by delinking the cost of the final product from the costs of research and development.

Syria: Humanitarian Aid

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect of recent reports that aid convoys are being blocked from entering the Eastern Ghouta region in Syria on the humanitarian situation in that region.

Alistair Burt: DFID’s humanitarian partners are on the ground in Eastern Ghouta providing life-saving healthcare and food. However, the Assad regime is besieging the area, preventing the delivery of new supplies. This is leading to a deterioration in already dire humanitarian conditions, with reports of growing food shortages and cases of acute malnutrition. We are using our position on the UN Security Council, and in the International Syria Support Group, to press the regime and its backers to allow unfettered access so that aid can reach those in desperate need.

Syria: Humanitarian Aid

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the merits of providing aid drops to alleviate food and medical supply scarcity in the Eastern Ghouta region in Syria.

Alistair Burt: Aid delivered by road by trusted humanitarian partners is by far the most effective way to meet needs in Eastern Ghouta and to ensure that it reaches those most in need. Airdrops are high risk and not capable of delivering many of the types of aid on a scale that could meet key needs there (e.g. safe drinking water, shelter, health support). Crucially, the consent is needed of those who control the airspace and those on the ground that could threaten aircraft. There is nothing to suggest that the Assad regime would provide such consent if it remained intent on blocking land access.

Syria: Overseas Aid

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made on the (a) availability of food and medical supplies to civilians and (b) safety of those people providing such supplies in the Syrian De-Escalation Zones.

Alistair Burt: Russia, the US and Jordan have agreed a ceasefire in southern Syria. Food and medical supplies are delivered into this area cross-border from Jordan and are assessed to be meeting priority needs. Russia, Turkey and Iran have also declared ‘de-escalation zones’ in Idlib, Eastern Ghouta and Northern Homs. Food and medical supplies enter Idlib cross-border from Turkey, but the Assad regime continues to severely restrict aid going into the other two zones. The level of violence has reduced in recent months, but there are still reports of attacks by pro-regime forces on civilians, particularly in eastern Ghouta and Idlib, and humanitarian workers are exposed to significant risks.

Syria: Overseas Aid

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what aid has been provided by the UK to civilians in the Eastern Ghouta region in Syria in the last 12 months.

Alistair Burt: DFID’s humanitarian partners are on the ground in Eastern Ghouta providing life-saving healthcare and food. However, the Assad regime is besieging the area, preventing the delivery of new supplies. This is leading to a deterioration in already dire humanitarian conditions, with reports of growing food shortages and cases of acute malnutrition. We are using our position on the UN Security Council, and in the International Syria Support Group, to press the regime and its backers to allow unfettered access so that aid can reach those in desperate need.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she discussed with Israeli Government Ministers or officials on her visit between 13 and 25 August 2017 any issues that are not her Departmental responsibility.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. I refer the Hon Gentleman to the exchange of letters between my Rt Hon Friend and my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister on her resignation; and to the statement issued by my Rt Hon Friend on 6 November:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/statement-from-international-development-secretary-priti-patel

Israel: Visits Abroad

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she discussed any of her Department's business in her meetings in Israel in August 2017; and whether Lord Polak attended any of those meetings.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. I refer the Hon Gentleman to the exchange of letters between my Rt Hon Friend and my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister on her resignation; and to the statement issued by my Rt Hon Friend on 6 November:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/statement-from-international-development-secretary-priti-patel

Israel: Visits Abroad

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if any of the meetings she held in Israel between 13 and 25 August 2017 were organised using email accounts or stationary provided by Parliament or her Department.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. The meetings the Hon Gentlemen refers to were not arranged by the Department. Further information is not held.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when she informed colleagues of her discussions with Israeli Government Ministers and officials on potential Government aid to the Israeli Defence Force.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. I refer the Hon Gentleman to the exchange of letters between my Rt Hon Friend and my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister on her resignation; and to the statement issued by my Rt Hon Friend on 6 November:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/statement-from-international-development-secretary-priti-patel

Israel: Visits Abroad

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether Lord Polak accompanied her to all or any of her  meetings in Israel in August 2017.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. I refer the Hon Gentleman to the exchange of letters between my Rt Hon Friend and my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister on her resignation; and to the statement issued by my Rt Hon Friend on 6 November:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/statement-from-international-development-secretary-priti-patel

Israel: Visits Abroad

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she had any meetings or communications with any official from the British Embassy in Israel between 13 and 25 August 2017.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. Any such meetings or communications were not arranged by the Department.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what advice she has received on whether use of official development assistance for the Israeli Defence Force would meet the terms of the International Development Acts.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham did not receive advice on whether the use of Official Development Assistance for the Israeli Defence Force would meet the terms of the International Development Acts.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the context was of her discussions with Israeli Government Ministers and officials on potential Government aid to the Israeli Defence Force; and if she will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. I refer the Hon Gentleman to the exchange of letters between my Rt Hon Friend and my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister on her resignation; and to the statement issued by my Rt Hon Friend on 6 November:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/statement-from-international-development-secretary-priti-patelFurther information is not held.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to her meetings in Israel between 13 and 25 August 2017, what follow-up actions have been commissioned by her Department as a result of those meetings.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. I refer the Hon Lady to the exchange of letters between my Rt Hon Friend and my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister on her resignation; and to the statement issued by my Rt Hon Friend on 6 November:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/statement-from-international-development-secretary-priti-patel

Israel: Visits Abroad

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she informed the Permanent Secretary at her Department before her visit to Israel in August 2017.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. The Permanent Secretary was not informed ahead of the visit.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what meetings, conversations, telephone calls or email exchanges she had with the Israeli Embassy in the UK prior to her visit to Israel in August 2017.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. The Department does not hold information related to the question.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she had with Ministers of her Department about Middle East policy prior to her visit to Israel in August 2017.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. Ministers have frequent and ongoing discussions about the Department's work in the Middle East.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when she made the decision to visit Israel in August 2017.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. The information is not held by the Department.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she used her official departmental email account to arrange her visit to Israel in August 2017.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. We do not have a record of any departmental emails being used to arrange this visit.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she used her parliamentary email account to arrange her visit to Israel in August 2017.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. The information is not held by the Department.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she used her office telephone to discuss arrangements for her visit to Israel in August 2017.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. The information is not held by the Department.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with officials of her Department before her August 2017 visit to Israel.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. The Department was not aware of the visit in advance of it taking place.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what advice she received from officials of her Department before her visit to Israel in August 2017.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. The Department was not aware of the visit in advance of it taking place.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will list all her meetings with representatives of the Government of Israel since June 2017 and the dates of each such meeting.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. The Department has not arranged any such meetings.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she used an email account other than that of an official parliamentary or departmental email account to organise meetings in Israel between 13 to 25 August 2017.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. The meetings were not arranged by the Department.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, who in her office organising her meetings in Israel between 13 to 25 August 2017; and if she will publish all communications related to the organisation of those meetings.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. The meetings were not arranged by the Department.

Tunisia: Overseas Aid

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what projects her Department sponsors in Tunisia.

Alistair Burt: The Department for International Development does not directly fund projects in Tunisia. Through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development North Africa Joint Unit, the UK Government is supporting Tunisia’s efforts to build its stability and strengthen its democracy. In 2017/18, UK support through the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund will help Tunisia develop its counter-terrorism capability and pursue political and economic reform.

Yemen: Overseas Aid

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether an impact assessment has been conducted of the effect on projects sponsored by her Department in Yemen of the closure of ports and airports by the Saudi-led coalition.

Alistair Burt: DFID is in close contact with our partners on the effects of the recently announced restrictions by the Saudi-led Coalition, as well as constraints on access imposed by the Houthi-Saleh alliance. At the time of writing, we understand that ships are unloading supplies at Aden, Hodeidah and Salif ports.

Yemen: Cholera

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to tackle the cholera outbreak in Yemen.

Alistair Burt: The current cholera outbreak in Yemen is the largest ever recorded in a single year (as of 4 November 2017 over 900,000 suspected cases and over 2,190 deaths have been recorded since the start of the outbreak in April earlier this year). Fewer than half of Yemen’s health facilities are functioning, and 15.7 million people lack access to water, sanitation and hygiene services. The UK announced a renewed push to treat and contain the outbreak of cholera in August, providing £8 million for UNICEF and the International Organization for Migration’s cholera response. This support, part of our of £155 million of funding to Yemen in the Financial Year 2017/18, includes providing medical supplies to half a million people, 300,000 people with access to safe water, and rehabilitated medical centres to benefit 250,000 people.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will publish all correspondence between her, Lord Polak, the Israeli authorities, her Permanent Secretary and her private office related to the meetings and events she conducted in Israel between 13 to 25 August 2017.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she used her parliamentary email address when organising meetings in Israel between 13 to 25 August 2017.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. The information is not held by the Department.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Jared O'Mara: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when she plans to publish the details of her meetings with members of the Israeli Government and business people during her visit to Israel.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. I refer the Hon Gentleman to the exchange of letters between my Rt Hon Friend and my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister on her resignation; and to the statement issued by my Rt Hon Friend on 6 November:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/statement-from-international-development-secretary-priti-patel

Israel: Visits Abroad

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, who (a) organised and (b) paid for her travel to her meetings in Israel in August 2017.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. I refer the Hon Lady to the exchange of letters between my Rt Hon Friend and my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister on her resignation; and to the statement issued by my Rt Hon Friend on 6 November:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/statement-from-international-development-secretary-priti-patel

Israel: Visits Abroad

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she received any gifts at her meetings in Israel between 13 and 25 August 2017.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. The information is not held by the Department.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when she first informed her Department and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office about her meetings in Israel in August 2017.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. The Department officially confirmed with my Rt Hon Friend that she undertook a visit to Israel on Monday 11 September. The full list of meetings held in Israel was officially confirmed by my Rt Hon Friend on Saturday 4 November.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what declarations she made to her Department on the hospitality and services provided during her meetings and visits in Israel between 13 and 25 August 2017.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. The information is not held by the Department.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she informed her Department and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of her visit to Israel between 13 and 25 August 2017 before she travelled to Israel.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. Neither the Department for International Development nor the Foreign and Commonwealth Office were aware of the visit in advance.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to her meetings in Israel between 13 and 25 August 2017, what follow-up actions have been commissioned by her Department as a result of those meetings.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. I refer the Hon Lady to the exchange of letters between my Rt Hon Friend and my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister on her resignation; and to the statement issued by my Rt Hon Friend on 6 November:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/statement-from-international-development-secretary-priti-patel

Lord Polak

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what meetings she has had since being appointed Secretary of State for International Development with Lord Polak; and whether Lord Polak has visited her Department in Whitehall.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the Member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. The Department is aware of a political meeting between my Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham and Lord Polak held on its premises on 27 July 2016. In addition, the Department holds a record of my Rt Hon Friend the Member for Witham being in attendance at two events outside of the Department I understand Lord Polak was also present at. These were a Conservative Party dinner on 27 September 2017 and a Parliamentary Reception of the Conservative Friends of Israel on 24 January 2017. Further information is not held.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues about providing aid to the Israeli Defence Force in the Golan Heights.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. No information is held.

Israel: Visits Abroad

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, who made the arrangements for her visit and meetings in Israel between 13 and 25 August 2017.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. The information is not held by the Department

Israel: Visits Abroad

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the list of meetings that she published on 6 November 2017 was a complete list of the meetings and topics that took place during her visit to Israel in August 2017.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. I refer the Hon Gentleman to the exchange of letters between my Rt Hon Friend and my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister on her resignation; and to the statement issued by my Rt Hon Friend on 6 November:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/statement-from-international-development-secretary-priti-patel

Israel: Visits Abroad

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, at how many meetings during her visit to Israel she was accompanied by Lord Polak; and who was present at each meeting on that visit.

Penny Mordaunt: My Rt Hon Friend the member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. I refer the Hon Gentleman to the exchange of letters between my Rt Hon Friend and my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister on her resignation; and to the statement issued by my Rt Hon Friend on 6 November:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/statement-from-international-development-secretary-priti-patel

Department for Education

Academies: Closures

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much has been written-off by her Department as a result of over-payments to academies and free schools which have since closed.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Holding answer received on 07 November 2017



For 2016-17 and 2017-18 approval has been granted to write off £818,476 in over payments for closed academies and free schools.

Mothers: Custodial Treatment

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to develop an informed and co-ordinated range of child-centred services and support to ensure positive outcomes for the children of mothers serving short-term prison sentences.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Families can play a significant role in supporting prisoners, as studies show that positive relationships are an important factor in reducing reoffending. The government has taken the following action to improve support for prisoners and their families:Funded a contract worth over £1.4m for Barnardo’s to operate the i-HOP service to share evidence on practice and advise commissioners and practitioners on the options available to support the families of offenders.Given prison governors the budget and flexibility to spend their resources as they see fit to help prisoners establish or maintain important family and significant other ties.Awarded a new contract for family services across the female estate in October 2017, allowing women’s prisons to work closely with a single professional family services provider, to develop innovative support solutions.Enabled better communication between prisoners and their families through the facilitation of organised and constructive family days, as well as courses and programmes to promote parenting and family engagement.Women’s prisons also work to provide other support for improved family links, including family days, child-centred visits, homework clubs and specific relationship and parenting skills programmes.Finally, we are building the evidence of what works for all children in need, investing £5 million to test targeted support to improve their outcomes.

Class Sizes

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of average class sizes in (a) Liverpool, Walton constituency, (b) the North West and (c) England in each year since 2010.

Nick Gibb: Average class size figures for state-funded schools in England are calculated and published annually in the statistical first releases available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbers.A national summary of average class sizes for Key Stages 1 and 2 and secondary is in each national tables document, tables 6a and 6b respectively.A summary at local authority and regional level is only available for Key Stages 1 and 2 and can be found in each local authority and regional tables document in table 11.Data is not summarised by parliamentary constituency, but data for each school providing average class sizes for Key Stages 1 and 2, where appropriate, and overall is available via opening the underlying tables document for each year then via the file ‘…Schools_Classes_UD’. The figures can be filtered by parliamentary constituency, school phase and local authority.

Department for Education: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of her Department's spend in the last year has been with Government strategic suppliers.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The proportion of direct spend with government strategic suppliers as per the Crown Representatives and Strategic Suppliers (September 2017) list from Cabinet Office for 2016-17 is 0.3%.

World War II: Genocide

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to add Holocaust education to all key stages of the national curriculum.

Nick Gibb: Following the review of the national curriculum, which concluded in 2013, teaching the history of the Holocaust remained a compulsory part of the history curriculum for maintained schools at key stage 3 (age 11 – 14). There is scope for schools to teach about the Holocaust at other key stages, in an age-appropriate way.The Department funds the ‘Lessons from Auschwitz’ programme, which aims to increase knowledge and understanding of the Holocaust for young people.In addition, jointly with the Pears Foundation, we fund University College London’s Centre for Holocaust Education, which will provide continuing professional development for over a thousand teachers in England this year.

Academies: Accountability

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what arrangements she has put in place to ensure local democratic accountability of multi-academy trusts.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Academy trusts are accountable to my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State through her network of Regional Schools Commissioners (RSCs). RSCs work closely with local councils in driving forward school improvement in their areas In addition, all academy trusts are required to include two parent governors on their trust board or on each of the local governing bodies in their trusts.

Children: Disadvantaged

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the number of children in England who are eligible for free school meals and pupil premium but are not registered.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I am sorry, but my department does not hold information on the number of pupils who are entitled to Free School Meals (FSM) but have not made a request. However, we do monitor take-up of benefit related FSM. The latest figures show that overall, the proportion of compulsory school age pupils claiming free school meals is 14.0%, around 1.13 million pupils[1].The current FSM eligibility criteria requires a claim for the meal to be made on behalf of the pupil. We know that schools and local councils have worked hard over recent years to encourage all eligible families to register for FSM, to ensure that schools receive the full amount of pupil premium funding to which they are entitled. It is possible for schools to identify these pupils, for example through their enrolment processes. We have highlighted and disseminated best practice from these schools and local councils for other schools to use, including a model registration form and guidance. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2017

Pupil Premium

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much pupil premium funding remained unclaimed in 2016-17.

Mr Robert Goodwill: School and local councils do not claim for pupil premium. The premium is allocated on a formula using pupil number data from the school census and local councils’ looked after children return. The formula used for financial year 2016 to 2017 is set out in the pupil premium conditions of grant, which can be found on gov.uk athttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-conditions-of-grant-2016-to-2017. The resulting allocations for each school and local council are shown at the same link.

Department for Education: Public Expenditure

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department has available in its Annually Managed Expenditure Budget to provide financial cover for anticipated policy changes in (a) 2018-19 and (b) 2019-20.

Mr Robert Goodwill: As set out in the Department for Education’s Main Estimates Memo, the financial control total for Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) in 2018-19 is £15,482,932m and the financial control total for AME in 2019-20 is £17,970,472m. These control totals are set on the basis of current government policy and are underpinned by AME forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility. The department’s control totals for AME are adjusted for any policy changes based on policy costings scrutinised by the Office for Budget Responsibility at fiscal events.

Academies

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria her Department used to decide whether to intervene in the (a) financial management and (b) governance of multi-academy trusts as a result of concerns reported to her by the Education and Skills Funding Agency.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Accountability is founded on a clear framework communicated and regulated by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), with effective oversight and compliance based on proportionate risk assessment, and robust intervention when things go wrong. Where concerns arise, the ESFA works with trusts to prevent financial instability and enable them to recover their financial position and return to stable governance. Intervention is always proportionate and risk-based and linked to non-compliance with requirements set out in the Academies Financial Handbook and academies’ funding agreements. Each case is assessed on its merits and the ESFA has a range of actions ranging from corresponding with trusts through to the termination of a trust’s funding agreement. The ESFA’s approach considers the issue and local circumstances. Where an academy trust requires additional support, the ESFA will work with the trust to help it reach a stronger position. Where there is a risk to public funds, the ESFA will intervene in a way that is proportionate to the risk and preserves the effective education of children, including in the most serious cases termination of the Funding Agreement. The ESFA are always looking to strengthen their ability to identify risk, developing significant support for greater school efficiency and are proactive in assessing risk to prevent financial issues arising in academy trusts.

Academies: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what additional financial support she plans to make available to schools that are rebrokered as a result of the collapse of Wakefield City Academies Trust.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The department is working with all of the schools and the provisionally identified new trusts to determine appropriate support and resources, including funding, so that each of the schools is able to improve pupil outcomes.

Wakefield City Academies Trust

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what consultation has taken place between the families and communities served by schools that were previously in Wakefield City Academies Trust and the preferred sponsors identified by her Department.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We have invited interested groups to share their views with the department before 12 November by contacting academies.rebrokerage@education.gov.uk. All of the provisionally identified trusts have been engaging with parents and staff at all 21 schools during this period. All information provided to the department will be given full consideration before final decisions are taken on new trusts.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the oral Answer from the Minister for Children and Families of 6 November 2017, on free childcare, what proportion of early years providers (a) can provide and (b) are outliers who are unable to deliver 30 hours of free childcare on Government funding.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Providers can choose whether or not to provide 30 hours of free childcare. Our independent evaluation of the early rollout programme found that 83% of providers who previously delivered the free entitlements were willing and able to offer 30 hours’ places. The full report can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/642007/Evaluation_of_early_rollout_of_30-hours_free_childcare.pdf.Where providers feel unable to deliver 30 hours of free childcare on government funding, I invite them to consider sharing with me, if they feel able to do so, detailed financial information on their costs and revenues, so that I can understand their concerns in more detail.

Children's Centres: Closures

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 24 April 2017 to Question 71222, on children's centres: closures, how many people are currently served by a Sure Start centre.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 24 April 2017 to Question 71222, on children's centres: closures, how her Department defines the most disadvantaged people; and what steps she is taking to ensure that the most disadvantaged people are not affected by the closure of Sure Start centres.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We do not routinely collect data on the number of people using Sure Start Children’s Centre services. Statutory guidance makes clear that where councils decide to close a children’s centre, they should demonstrate that children and families, particularly the most disadvantaged, will not be; and that they are still meeting the duty to have sufficient children’s centres to meet local need. It is for local councils to define what is meant by disadvantage in this respect, having regard to the things that they are obliged to consider in statutory guidance; this is because any such definition must reflect local circumstances.

Academies: Admissions

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many requests for direct admission to an academy of a looked-after child  she received in the academic year 2016-17.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Looked after children are amongst the most vulnerable in our society and we are committed to supporting them to have the best possible start in life. As such, there are provisions within the schools admissions system to support looked after children. Where a local council considers that an academy will best meet the needs of a child, it can ask the academy to admit the child but has no powers to direct it to do so. The local council and the academy will usually come to an agreement, but if an academy refuses to admit a child, the local council can ask the Secretary of State to intervene. An application to direct from the Secretary of State should only be requested as a last resort. However, when a direction is received, the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) will act on behalf of the Secretary of State to consider whether under the terms of an academy’s funding agreement she has the power to direct the academy to admit the child. For 2016/17 the ESFA, on behalf of my Rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State, received 14 requests for direct admission to an academy relating to a looked-after child.

Pupils: Southwark

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children attending schools in the London Borough of Southwark have been taken out of school (a) to undergo female genital mutilation abroad or (b) for a forced marriage abroad in each of the last five years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: It is illegal to force marriage or to practise female genital mutilation (FGM) on a girl or woman (or arrange for a third party to practise it), whether in the UK or overseas.Information on the number of children who have been taken out of school to undergo FGM abroad or for a forced marriage abroad is not collected by the department.

Grammar Schools

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on what day she plans to respond to the Fourth Report of the Education Committee, Evidence check: Grammar Schools, Session 2016-17, HC 780.

Nick Gibb: We will provide a response to the Education Committee’s report in due course.

Apprentices

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people not being offered jobs after the completion of apprenticeship; and what assessment she has made of the most common reasons for those people not being offered jobs.

Anne Milton: Data in SFR52/2017 ‘Further education: Outcome based success measures’ show that 85 per cent of apprentices who completed in academic year 2014/2015 continue into sustained work or further training at the end of their apprenticeship. The data can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/654370/SFR52_2017.pdf. Data in the Apprenticeship evaluation: 2015 learner survey shows that 92% of apprentices who had completed their apprenticeship were in work. 64% of Level 2 and 3 apprentices who had completed their apprenticeship were employed by the same employer. The locations and sectors where apprenticeships are available are determined by employers choosing to offer apprenticeships and recruit apprentices. The department has not therefore made an assessment of the reasons why employers have not continued to offer employment to apprentices.We know that many employers support apprenticeships and recognise the long-term benefits they bring to an organisation. In the Apprenticeship evaluation: 2015 employer survey, 87% of employers said they were satisfied with the programme, 76% say that productivity has improved and 75% reported that apprenticeships improved the quality of their product or service.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister for Children and Families of 6 November 2017, on free childcare, Official Report, column 1183, which journalists that Minister was referring to.

Mr Robert Goodwill: From the Official Report (Hansard), I believe this reference is from column 1184. I was not referring to any individual journalists, but to media coverage more generally, uch of which quoted the hon. member for Batley and Spen.

Children's Centres: Closures

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 24 April 2017 to Question 71222, on children's centres: closures, what criteria her Department uses to measure the planned increase in efficiency of local council services as a result of the closure of Sure Start centres.

Mr Robert Goodwill: It is for councils to measure increases in efficiency as a result of children’s centre closures in line with local funding priorities. Funding for children’s services, including children’s centres, gives councils the freedom to decide how best to target resources and respond flexibly to local need. Statutory guidance makes clear that “in determining the best arrangements locally to meet local needs, value for money and the ability to improve outcomes for all children and families, especially families in greatest need of support, should be important guiding considerations.”

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister for Children and Families of 6 November 2017, on free childcare, Official Report, column 1182, what plans her Department has to introduce a mechanism to allow early years settings to provide detailed information on the reasons underlying the costs of nursery provision.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Minister for Children and Families has been clear that where providers feel unable to deliver 30 hours of free childcare on government funding, they are welcome to share with him, if they feel able to do so, detailed financial information on their costs and revenues. This is so that we can understand their concerns in more detail. They can supply information to the Minister for Children and Families through publically available communication channels.

Apprentices

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many of the 2,730 fully agreed commitments for apprenticeships for under 19 year olds for May to July 2017 as reported by her Department at 31 July 2017 registered through the National Apprenticeship Service will receive an additional payment due to the fact they are taking on apprentices that have been in the care of the local authority.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many of the 5,820 fully agreed commitments for apprenticeships for under 19 to 24 year olds for May to July 2017 as reported at 31 July 2017 registered through the National Apprenticeship Service will receive an additional payment due to the fact they are taking on apprentices that have been in the care of the local authority.

Anne Milton: Information on apprentices who have been in care is not collected via the National Apprenticeship Service. Therefore, it is not possible to state how many fully agreed commitments will receive an additional payment for taking on apprentices that have been in the care of the local authority.

Apprentices: Care Leavers

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many achievements were recorded for care leavers aged under 25 for (a) intermediate, (b) advanced and (c) higher level apprenticeships in the academic years (i) 2014-15 and (ii) 2015-16.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many apprenticeship programme starts awarded to care leavers at (a) intermediate, (b) advanced and (c) higher level apprenticeships there were in (i) 2014-15 and (ii) 2015-16 and (iii) 2016-17.

Anne Milton: Information on apprenticeship starts and achievements for care leavers is not available. The Individualised Learner Record is used to collect apprenticeship learning but does not collect information to identify learners who are in care.Information on apprenticeship starts and achievements can be found in the further education and skills statistical first release:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/further-education-and-skills-october-2017.

Free School Meals

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to (a) publish and (b) implement the eligibility criteria for free schools meals under universal credit; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I refer the hon. Member for Ashton-under-Lyne to the answer I gave on 24 October 2017, to question 108272 (http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=108272)My department is working to establish new criteria for determining entitlement to benefits-related FSM as the roll-out of Universal Credit progresses. No decision has been taken yet, and our proposals on this matter will be announced in due course.

Pupil Premium

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the criteria will be for eligibility for the pupil premium after the roll-out of universal credit has been completed.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Pupil premium eligibility comprises those pupils who currently claim free school meals, those who have done so at any point in the last six years and pupils who are in the care of a local councils, or who left care through adoption or other formal routes. These criteria will not be directly affected by Universal Credit, though the underlying free school meal criteria will change. My department is working with DWP to establish new criteria for determining entitlement to benefits-related free school meals as the roll-out of Universal Credit progresses. No decision has been taken yet, and our proposals on this matter will be announced in due course.

Wakefield City Academies Trust

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions officials of her Department have had with (a) families and (b) staff affected by the collapse of Wakefield City Academies Trust on the new trusts with which the schools will be placed; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Discussions with families and staff are usually carried out at Trust level. In this instance, we have invited interested groups, including families, to share their views with the Department for Education before 12 November by contacting academies.rebrokerage@education.gov.uk. Department officials are in the process of responding to those representations.In addition, all of the provisionally identified trusts have been engaging with parents and staff at all 21 schools during this period.

Teachers: Migrant Workers

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many non-UK EU nationals employed as teachers in state schools have left that employment since 23 June 2016.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2017 to Question 109339, if she will take into account information from the independent published evaluation of early implementation on the income of families benefiting from the 30 free hours of childcare policy when assessing the effectiveness of that policy.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The department is using the findings from the early implementation evaluation, published in July, including those on parental income to assess the effectiveness of the policy. We will also be drawing on the independent evaluation of the first two terms of national rollout to assess the effectiveness of the policy further. It is intended that this evaluation will collect data from parents, including their household income.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Research: Europe

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the capacity within UK universities and research institutes to continue to investigate the European geo-political area after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: The Department has made no such assessment but the Prime Minister explained in her Florence Speech that the UK will continue to take part in those specific policies and programmes which are greatly to the UK and the EU’s joint advantage, such as those that promote science, education and culture.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Nurseries

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what childcare facilities his Department makes available for staff; how much his Department spent (a) overall and (b) per child on those childcare facilities in the last year; and how many staff members use those childcare facilities.

George Eustice: Defra does not provide in house childcare facilities for employees. However, Defra recognises that employees need flexible pre-school and out-of-school childcare that is convenient to them and therefore provides access to a salary sacrifice scheme for childcare vouchers. The Scheme enables employees to choose their own childcare provider and to have their childcare costs reduced by using Childcare Vouchers. The vouchers can be used to pay any eligible childcare provider that is OFSTED registered and HMRC compliant.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Brexit

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's preparations for the UK leaving the EU with (a) an agreement on future partnership and (b) no agreement with the EU; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: The Prime Minister has been clear that we need to plan for every eventuality. Defra has put in place a major programme of work to prepare for the UK’s departure from the EU, planning for a number of scenarios, including no agreement. I keep the effectiveness of these preparations under continual review.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Telephone Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of his Department's public phone-lines charge members of the public to call.

George Eustice: My Department has 5 public phone-lines. All these phone lines have a prefix 03 and are chargeable in some circumstances. However, according to Ofcom, calls to 03 numbers cost no more than calls to geographic numbers (01 or 02) and must be included in inclusive minutes and discount schemes in the same way. 03 calls from landlines and mobiles are included in free call packages. Therefore, a significant proportion of the public would not be charged when calling these lines.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of his Department's spend in the last year has been with Government strategic suppliers.

George Eustice: In the financial year 2016/17, 13.1% of Defra’s total expenditure was with Government strategic suppliers.

Food: Origin Marking

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations his Department has received on whether placing geographical indicators for products on a UK legal basis through the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will mean that those indicators are recognised by EU member states; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: The government regularly discusses the protection of geographical indications (GIs) at both ministerial and official levels with industry and relevant stakeholders. We are planning to use the EU (Withdrawal) Bill to transfer into domestic law the EU schemes that currently protect our GIs. This will ensure that UK GIs which are already registered remain protected in the UK after we leave the EU. Future protection for current UK GIs in EU member states, and for EU GIs in the UK, is subject to negotiations with the EU. Producers outside the EU are already able to participate in the EU's GI schemes when selling onto the EU market. In the same way, after we leave the EU new UK GIs will be able to apply for protection under the EU GI scheme.

Peat Bogs

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish his plans for peat restoration.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government will set out plans for peat restoration in the 25 Year Environment Plan and an England Peat Strategy.

Agriculture

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's timetable is for the introduction of a new farm policy.

George Eustice: The Queen’s Speech announced that an Agriculture Bill would be introduced during this session of Parliament. The Bill will allow us to deliver our manifesto commitment to provide stability to farmers as we leave the EU, supporting the industry to compete domestically and on the global market, and will allow us to grow more, sell more and export more great British food. We are working with industry and other interested parties to discuss the shape of future policy but we have also been clear that there will be a transition from one system to the next.

Litter: Fines

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's press release of 24 October 2017, on new steps to tackle littering, whether he plans for funds raised from the increase in litter fines to  be used to tackle (a) fly-tipping on farmland and (b) other local environmental issues.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Councils may spend the income from fixed penalties issued for littering offences on their functions relating to litter (including keeping their relevant land clear of litter and refuse, keeping relevant highways clean, and enforcement against littering) and on enforcement against graffiti and fly-posting offences. This spending may include spending on communications and education to abate littering, or on the provision of bins and other street litter disposal infrastructure, but will not include actions specifically to tackle fly-tipping on farmland. There are no restrictions on how councils can use income from fixed penalties issued for fly-tipping offences.

Food Poverty

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to measure progress on achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2 on food insecurity in the UK.

George Eustice: The Office for National Statistics recently carried out a consultation and will use the results to help shape the Government’s approach to monitoring and reporting UK progress against the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Government is committed to achieving the principles set out in SDG2: “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture”. Within Defra, we have recently commenced a review of the UK Food Security Assessment, to update and refresh the suite of indicators within it. It is a comprehensive analysis of all aspects of food security, including household food security.

Butterflies: Conservation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to retain and protect butterfly habitats.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 4 July, PQ 1498.

Housing: Timber

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the benefits to the environment of building homes with timber.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We recognise the benefits to the environment of building homes with timber. Independent research concludes that the Life Cycle analysis of timber for greenhouse gases compares favourably to other building materials for locking up carbon. This can contribute to meeting the UK carbon emissions reduction commitments. The use of timber as a building material also provides a market outlet for timber products which engages the growth of wood supply chains, and encourages more active woodland management.

Sugar Beet

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with UK beet sugar farmers on the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the UK beet sugar industry.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the UK beet sugar industry after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: The Secretary of State recently met representatives of sugar beet growers. The Secretary of State and I have also both discussed the sector with Associated British Foods, of which British Sugar is a subsidiary. Over the next few months Defra Ministers will continue to visit the British countryside and working farms to hear the views of industry and the public first hand. We want to support farmers to grow more, sell more and export more great British food. We have a once in a generation opportunity to transform our food and farming policies and improve our environment and it is vital we are all part of this process.

Food: Exports

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the interests of British food producers in the negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.

George Eustice: The Government is working with leaders from across the food chain to understand the best way to support British food producers in the ongoing negotiations. Engagement has been focused on listening to our stakeholders to get a clear understanding of the processes and systems they currently use, to understand their concerns and what they see as the opportunities arising from leaving the EU. It is a key priority to ensure that the views of all industry are represented in the ongoing negotiations, and it is our intention to further this engagement as the negotiations continue.

Agriculture: Employment

Mr Alister Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the supply of labour to the agriculture sector.

George Eustice: We gather industry intelligence and analyse data to ensure that we understand the labour supply and demand in agriculture, and the effect of leaving the EU on this sector.The Government also commissioned the independent Migration Advisory Committee to assess the role that EU citizens play in the UK economy and society, including the agriculture sector.Defra is working closely with the Home Office which leads on immigration as we work towards developing a new immigration system following our departure from the EU.

Agriculture: Seasonal Workers

Mr Alister Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on a new migration system which will allow farmers to employ seasonal workers from other countries.

George Eustice: Defra Ministers have ongoing discussions with a range of government departments, including the Home Office, about securing the workforce that the farming industry needs for the future. The Government has commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to better understand the reliance on EU migrant workers across the economy and to consider the UK’s labour market needs. The Home Office leads on immigration, and we are working with them to ensure that the specific needs of food and farming industry are considered in our future immigration system. We will look to develop a system which works for the whole United Kingdom.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Department for Exiting the European Union: Labour Turnover

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what proportion of civil service posts in his Department was vacant for a week or longer since his Department was established; and what the turnover rate for civil servants in his Department has been in that period.

Mr Steve Baker: The Department for Exiting the European Union does not centrally hold information on vacancies week by week. The Department undertakes regular resource reviews to ensure that we are appropriately resourced to deal with the task at hand. Since the creation of DExEU, 165 individuals have left the Department. The Department has adopted a flexible and adaptable resourcing model and a significant proportion of this total represents the contractual exit of agency workers, secondees, contractors and fast streamers. The figure also includes a number of planned departures during the Department’s life; including a significant number of individuals who were on short term loan from other Government Departments brought in to aid in the establishment of DExEU. The Department is recruiting the brightest and the best from across the civil service, the wider public sector and the private sector. The Department now has over 550 staff, and is growing fast.

EU Law

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the compatibility of the UK and EU legal regimes after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Steve Baker: The act of leaving the EU means that it is inevitable that elements of the EU’s supranational framework will not be retained. The EU (Withdrawal) Bill will provide businesses and stakeholders with maximum certainty as we leave the European Union by ensuring that, wherever practical, the same rules and laws apply after exit and that legal rights and obligations are clear. We are also pursuing a deep and special future partnership with the EU, the exact nature of which will be determined by the outcome of the negotiations.

Intellectual Property

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent discussions he has had with the European Commission on the protection of intellectual property rights after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: As referenced in the Government’s Summer Paper on Science and Innovation and the EU exit White Paper in May, the UK has one of the best IP regimes in the world, and leaving the EU will not change that: we will continue to deliver quality rights-granting services, lead the world in enforcement and engage in international IP discussions. We have made good progress to date on discussions of separation issues, including IP rights, but we believe that this issue will be an important part of the discussions on our future partnership. We have been clear that in order to provide certainty to businesses and citizens we must talk about the future. For our part, we are ready to move these negotiations on. Doing so will allow us to best achieve our joint objectives and move towards a deal that works for both the UK and the EU.

Intellectual Property: EU Action

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, when he plans to negotiate on intellectual property rights with the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: We have been clear that in order to provide certainty to businesses and citizens we must talk about the future economic partnership between the UK and the EU. For our part, we are ready to move on to these negotiations at the earliest opportunity and believe that the future relationship on intellectual property rights will be an important part of our discussions.

Economic Situation: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether his Department has produced an impact assessment of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the Welsh economy.

Mr Steve Baker: The Government is committed to the best possible deal for the United Kingdom - a deal that works for Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and all parts of England. We have been engaging with the Welsh Government and have been clear from the start that the devolved administrations should be fully engaged. As part of our work preparing to make a success of our departure from the European Union we are carrying out a full suite of analysis as you would expect a responsible Government to do. This includes a broad range of sectoral analyses covering the entirety of the UK economy, including Wales. This analysis is not in the form of 58 separate sectoral impact assessments. Instead, the sectoral analyses are a wide mix of qualitative and quantitative analysis contained in a range of documents developed at different times since the referendum.

Wales Office

Economic Situation: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions his Department has had with the Welsh Government on the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the Welsh economy.

Alun Cairns: There has been, and will continue to be, constructive engagement between the UK Government and the Welsh Government on the issue of the UK’s exit from the EU. Most recently the Prime Minister and I met with the First Minister on 30 October, and a number of issues related to EU exit, including its impact on the Welsh economy, were discussed. The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales will continue to work with other Government departments, and the Welsh Government, to support the Welsh economy and promote a prosperous Wales within a strong United Kingdom.

Wales Office: Nurseries

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what childcare facilities his Department makes available for its staff; how much his Department spent (a) overall and (b) per child on those facilities in the last 12 months; and how many of his Department's staff use those facilities.

Guto Bebb: The Wales Office does not provide on-site childcare facilities on its estate. However, the Department recognises that staff need flexible pre-school and out-of-school childcare of a type and in a location most convenient to them. The Wales Office is not an employer in its own right, and staff are employed by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). The MoJ offers a salary sacrifice scheme for childcare vouchers which enables staff to choose their own childcare provider (subject to meeting eligibility requirements) and have their childcare costs reduced by taking part of their salary in the form of childcare vouchers, which are exempt from tax and National Insurance contributions. We also follow MoJ polices by offering a range of flexible working options to staff, including term-time working, job shares and compressed hours, to allow staff with caring responsibilities to work in the way that best suits them.

Air Passenger Duty: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect of devolution of air passenger duty to Wales in (a) job creation in Wales and (b) the overall performance of the Welsh economy; and if he will make a statement.

Alun Cairns: In line with our commitment in the St David’s Day Agreement, the Government has considered the case for devolving powers over air passenger duty to the National Assembly for Wales. We have made clear that, having considered the impacts of devolving APD, we have ruled out the devolution of APD to Wales.

Wales Office: Staff

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many staff appointed after 24 June 2016 in his Department hold a post that includes work on the UK leaving the EU.

Guto Bebb: The Department for Exiting the European Union has responsibility for overseeing preparations for the withdrawal of the UK from the EU and conducting these withdrawal negotiations in support of the Prime Minister. In doing this it is working very closely with other Government departments, including the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales.The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales has refocused its priorities following the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union and work relating to exiting the EU now forms part of the policy portfolio of most staff.

Valuation Office Agency: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what bilateral meetings he has had with (a) Welsh and (b) UK Government Ministers to discuss valuation office closures in Wales.

Alun Cairns: I hold regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues and the Welsh Government on matters pertaining to Wales. The intention behind the Valuation Office Agency's actions is to balance affordability, a range of working styles and geographic coverage. As office space is reduced, the VOA will seek, where possible, to retain people and their skills in the Agency.

Ministry of Justice

Terrorism: Detainees

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average cost to the public purse is of the detention of people (a) awaiting trial for terrorist offences and (b) convicted of terrorist offences.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Her Majesty’s Prisons and Probation Service (HMPPS), does not calculate separately the annual cost of prisoners who are held in remand awaiting trial or by type of offence. Additionally, the information recorded on the HMPPS central accounting system does not allow the identification of costs attributable to holding individual offenders. However, HMPPS, routinely publishes average costs per prisoner, costs per prison place and overall prison unit costs for each private and public sector prison in England and Wales. This information is produced on an annual basis and is published after the end of each financial year. The information can be accessed in the Prison and Probation Performance Statistics pages for each relevant financial year here - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/prison-and-probation-trusts-performance-statistics. Prison unit costs can be found within the Excel document Costs per prison place and cost per prisoner by individual prison establishment in the ‘Cost by Establishment’ tab. The most recent published figures for financial year 2016-17 can be accessed on the www.gov.uk website from the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-performance-statistics-2016-to-2017.

Rape: Trials

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2017 to Question 4856, on rape: trials whether any agency of his Department records information on successful and unsuccessful applications made under subsection 41(3)(c)(i) of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999.

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2017 to Question 4856, on rape: trials where the information on applications to use a complainant's previous sexual activity made under subsection 41 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 is held.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Attorney General and the previous Justice Secretary committed to look at how the law on the admissibility of complainants’ sexual history is operating in practice. The Crown Prosecution Service has reviewed a sample of finalised rape prosecution files to assess the frequency and outcome of applications seeking to introduce into rape proceedings evidence of the complainant's sexual history.

Prison Officers: Pay

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department's budget is sufficient to fund the 1.7 per cent pay rise for prison officers without decreasing spending on other departmental responsibilities.

Mr Sam Gyimah: When the Government published its response to the sixteenth Prison Service Pay Review Body (PSPRB) report in September, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury (CST) set out that the pay award for prison officers will be funded from within existing budgets.

Prison Sentences

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of days is for which offenders are incarcerated in each prison in England and Wales.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Table 1: Average time1 served by offenders released from determinate sentences2, by final establishment, between January to March, 2017.EstablishmentAverage (mean) time servedAverage (median) time servedMales382148Altcourse13961Ashfield1,4971,306Aylesbury950912Belmarsh302109Buckley Hall1,1091,109Bedford17347Bristol17163Birmingham11859Bullingdon23284Bure833750Brinsford22983Brixton766535Chelmsford15074Cardiff11055Cookham Wood209151Coldingley919515Channings Wood547381Dartmoor787484Dovegate582182Durham14362Doncaster17372Deerbolt302292Erlestoke913799Standford Hill (Sheppey cluster)1,094911Exeter8748Elmley (Sheppey cluster)29489Forest Bank22578Ford853728Frankland3,2693,269Feltham348273Featherstone743557Garth2,3462,346Guys Marsh435274Glen Parva298217Hollesley Bay673499Huntercombe477241Hatfield1,030913Hewell25466Holme House290128Hindley733464Hull20084Humber440243High Down29090Highpoint (North and South)735494Haverigg524419Isis555388Isle of Wight957863Kirkham692420Kirklevington Grange669413Leicester40881Leeds29890Lancaster Farms625471Lowdham Grange1,7371,355Lindholme1,128994Lincoln31570Liverpool23774Littlehey1,015906Lewes23555Leyhill901728Moorland649364Manchester25274Maidstone438289Mount791617Northumberland625441Nottingham25578North Sea Camp656414Norwich20676Onley769536Oakwood581364Peterborough326990Portland445315Preston17162Parc495274Pentonville22367Rochester418274Rye Hill2,0602,060Ranby623365Risley580365Stafford982912Stoke Heath718422Stocken1,066912Swaleside (Sheppey cluster)1,4771,582Swinfen Hall842836Grendon/Spring Hill732543Sudbury629413Swansea12160Thorn Cross925871Thameside530274Usk156156Prescoed777473Winchester19769Wakefield2,6532,432Wealstun635421Woodhill17288Wayland770570Wymott1,125750Werrington239182Wormwood Scrubs330104Whatton1,096728Wandsworth24265Wetherby203149Females15762Askham Grange371322Bronzefield10148Drake Hall325230Downview268179East Sutton Park390247Eastwood Park10060Foston Hall10351Low Newton18283New Hall17569Peterborough38648Send610465Styal13555 As the basis for calculation here is days, rather than months, values will differ slightly from published figures.Excludes deportees.HMP & YOI Peterborough is a dual purpose prison for men and women. Data sources and qualityThe figures in these tables have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Reoffenders

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners were in prison due to licence recalls in each year since 1990.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners recalled on licence were (a) men and (b) women in each year since 2010.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve oversight of licence recalls.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The number of offenders in prison due to licence recall is available only since 1993.Total recall population, 30 June 1993 - 2017; England & WalesYearsRecall Population  30-Jun-939830-Jun-9412530-Jun-9514430-Jun-9619830-Jun-9727130-Jun-9835630-Jun-9949830-Jun-0079830-Jun-011,11330-Jun-021,75330-Jun-032,63130-Jun-043,28930-Jun-053,49030-Jun-064,06330-Jun-075,09730-Jun-085,50930-Jun-095,95830-Jun-105,35030-Jun-115,64630-Jun-125,41730-Jun-135,10830-Jun-145,26030-Jun-156,17630-Jun-166,61730-Jun-176,390Data sources and qualityThe figures in these tables have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The number of prisoners recalled on licence who were (a) men and (b) women in each year since 2010 is: Number of Offenders RecalledYearFemalesMalesTotal2009/10--15,0042010/1158715,05315,6402011/1271115,94816,6592012/1372615,62216,3482013/1475516,76417,5192014/1579316,89917,6922015/161,30221,11022,4122016/171,42020,30121,721 Notes(1) Figures for earlier years may not match those previously published due to data being taken from a live database.”(2) Unavailable is indicated by a dash (-). Public protection is our priority and recall is used to ensure that offenders on licence who present a high risk of harm to the public or are at risk of re-offending are returned to custody as quickly as possible - and for as long as necessary to protect the public. Probation services assess the risk an offender poses and recommend recall where they consider that necessary in all the circumstances. Officials in HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) HQ will then ensure that the probation services have provided the evidence to support the recall before formally revoking the offender’s licence. We are committed to ensuring that the power to recall is used effectively and appropriately and that offender managers identify alternatives to recall wherever possible We are taking steps to make sure that recalled offenders are re-released only once it is safe to do so and that offenders under probation supervision are given every opportunity and support to complete their licence periods successfully.

Witnesses: Video Recordings

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 9902, on Witnesses: Video Recordings, which courts will be in the first phase of the rollout nationally of section 28 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 in Autumn 2017.

Dr Phillip Lee: Section 28 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 will be commenced, for vulnerable witnesses, in the following six Crown Court Centres in Autumn 2017: Bradford, Carlisle, Chester, Durham, Mold and Sheffield.

Trespass

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make trespass a criminal offence.

Dominic Raab: Aggravated trespass is already a criminal offence under section 68 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. It occurs when a person trespasses on land and intimidates the landowner or others who are lawfully on the land, deterring them from carrying out or engaging in any lawful activity, or does anything to obstruct or disrupt that activity. A person guilty of this offence is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months, a fine or both.

Sexual Harassment

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to make up-skirting a sexual offence.

Dominic Raab: I am determined to ensure that the intrusive practice of up-skirting is tackled robustly: there should be no doubt that such acts are unacceptable and illegal. It is encouraging to see that such distressing behaviour has been successfully prosecuted on a number of occasions and my officials are reviewing the existing offences - some of which carry an unlimited prison sentence - to ensure they remain appropriate.

Prisoners

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of trends in the level of prisoner numbers since May 2017.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Prison population projections for England and Wales from August 2017 to March 2022 can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-population-projections-ns. The analysis in this bulletin was based on data available up to the month of publication.

Prisons: Construction

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his policy is on the replacement of Victorian prisons with new-build prisons.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We have committed to transforming our prison estate by investing £1.3bn to deliver up to 10,000 new places.This includes pushing ahead with plans to close or redevelop older prisons and open new accommodation in this parliament.This will help deliver prisons that are more safe and secure, so our staff can work more closely with offenders to change their lives and turn their back on crime for good.

Prison Officers: Cameras

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will publish the findings of recent trials of body cameras for prison officers.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The pilot was comprehensively evaluated using both quantitative and qualitative measures of impact. The evaluation of the pilot is still being completed and a formal report prepared. Once that has been done it has always been the intention to make this available. We will publish the report in due course.

Personal Injury: Compensation

Craig Tracey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department plans to review the personal injury discount rate.

Dominic Raab: The personal injury discount rate set by the Lord Chancellor for England and Wales under section 1 of the Damages Act 1996 was reduced from 2.5% to minus 0.75% on 20 March following a review. The Lord Chancellor is required by law to make sure the rate is not inappropriate. On 7 September, the Ministry of Justice published and invited comments on draft legislation that would, if enacted, change the way in which the discount rate is set and require a review of the rate to be started within 90 days of the legislation coming into force and completed within 180 days of the start of the review. The Justice Select Committee is conducting a pre-legislative scrutiny inquiry into the draft legislation. Subject to the response to the draft legislation, the Government intends to legislate promptly to make sure that the way the rate is set is put on the best possible footing at the earliest practicable date. The first review of the rate will then be carried out in accordance with the terms of the legislation.

Ministry of Justice: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of his Department's spend in the last year has been with Government strategic suppliers.

Dr Phillip Lee: The proportion of spend by the Ministry of Justice for the financial year 2016/2017 with the Government’s strategic suppliers was £1,436,976,342; 31% of the total spend of the Ministry of Justice for this period.

Prisons: Anniversaries

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken to support prisons to participate in (a) Holocaust Memorial Day, (b) Black History Month and (c) National Hate Crime Awareness Week.

Dr Phillip Lee: Prisons are free to decide locally how they participate in Holocaust Memorial Day, Black History Month and National Hate Crime Awareness Week. Such participation will reflect the needs of individual prisons in terms of their offender and staffing profiles. National Prison Radio promotes national support for local initiatives, and Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service also provides information to prisons via its staff networks to support prison staff in their participation in local events.

Community Orders

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many community orders for non-violent offences have been made in each year since 2010.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many community orders for violent and sexual offences were made last year.

Dominic Raab: The number of offenders sentenced to a community order, in England and Wales, from 2010 to 2016 (latest available), with those sentenced for violence against the person and sexual offences separately identifiable and selectable for 2016 alone, can be found in the Criminal Justice Statistics data tool as part of the Criminal Justice Statistics quarterly (December 2016), linked below, on gov.uk. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2016

Legal Aid Scheme: Children and Young People

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many children and young people aged 18 to 24 have been granted legal aid under the exceptional care funding mechanism in each year since its introduction.

Dominic Raab: ECF applications granted1, by age of applicant, April 2013 to June 2017  Under 1818-242013-142142014-158202015-1613722016-1750125Apr-Jun 20171534Total 87  255   Notes:  1Includes Positive Preliminary View and part-grants  2Age was only recorded from October 2013These figures exclude unknowns, which could contain applicants under 18 or 18-24 years old. Unknowns comprised 18% of all applications in 2013-14 but only between 0% and 2% in each subsequent year. This is because client date of birth was only routinely recorded from October 2013 onwards. Figures provided are for applications, not applicants. Individuals may submit multiple applications. The ECF scheme began in April 2013 so figures are only available from this date onwards.

Legal Aid Scheme: Asylum

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much has been spent from the public purse on legal aid for asylum seekers in each of the last five years.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Justice cannot separately report on legal aid specifically awarded to asylum seekers. This information is not recorded, as it is not directly relevant to the administration of the legal aid scheme.

Public Sector: Recruitment

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending a ban the box employment policy in respect of ex-offender job applicants with unspent convictions to public sector vacancies.

Dr Phillip Lee: Ex-offenders currently have much lower levels of employment than the general population. Although we know that employment is a factor that can reduce the likelihood of reoffending, at present less than one in five offenders are in paid employment one month after release. MOJ is committed to helping support ex-offenders into employment and promoting Ban the Box is an important element of this work.Ban the Box is a very positive initiative run by Business in the Community (BITC). It gives people with a criminal conviction the chance to prove themselves and demonstrate relevant skills ahead of formally disclosing any conviction(s). Offenders can be assessed on their merits, without their criminal record acting as a barrier to employment.87 employers, covering more than 720,000 roles, have committed to adopting the Ban the Box scheme.Following the former Prime Minister’s commitment in February 2016, the Ban the Box campaign was formally launched across the Civil Service on the 17th October 2016 by the Cabinet Office. 380,000 roles (97% of Civil Service roles) were identified as suitable for removal of the ‘box’ that asks about criminal convictions during the initial stages of the recruitment process.The Ministry of Justice will continue to explore options for promoting Ban the Box across both the public and private sectors, primarily by ensuring we lead by example. An assessment has not been made about the merit of extending the policy, but campaigns such as our upcoming Offender Employment campaign will help to highlight the excellent ongoing work through Ban the Box.

Offenders: Rehabilitation

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to review the current rehabilitation periods under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, particularly in the case of Detention and Training Orders and Youth Rehabilitation Orders.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Government’s criminal record disclosure regime seeks to strike a balance between protecting the public and enabling ex-offenders to put their offending behind them. Under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, rehabilitation periods for convictions imposed on juveniles are significantly reduced in comparison to those imposed on adults. The Justice Select Committee published its report on the disclosure of youth criminal records on 27 October 2017. The Government will look carefully at its recommendations and will publish a response in due course.

Criminal Records: Young People

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on educational providers not using information about spent criminal records to deny access to courses for young people.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Justice Select Committee published its report on the disclosure of youth criminal records on 27 October 2017. Government will look carefully at its recommendations and will publish a response in due course. This process will include discussion with the Department for Education where relevant.

Females: Prisoners' Release

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve the transitional process from prison to release for women.

Dr Phillip Lee: Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) are required to deliver Through-the-Gate services to female prisoners to help them resettle in the community. These should be tailored to the particular needs of offenders. We recognise that the current delivery of Through-the-Gate services is, in some areas, falling short of our expectations. We are working with providers to improve services and considering further action that we might take.

Sexual Offences

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to his oral contribution of 5 September 2017, Official Report, column 18, on upskirting, what recent advice he has received on the creation of a specific sexual offence of upskirting.

Dominic Raab: I am determined to ensure that the intrusive practice of up-skirting is tackled robustly: there should be no doubt that such acts are unacceptable and illegal. It is encouraging to see that such distressing behaviour has been successfully prosecuted on a number of occasions and my officials are reviewing the existing offences - some of which carry an unlimited prison sentence - to ensure they remain appropriate.

Crimes of Violence: Sentencing

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people convicted for assault in NHS hospitals have received a custodial sentence in each of the last three years.

Dominic Raab: This data is collected centrally, and could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

Treatment Of, and Outcomes For, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Individuals in the Criminal Justice System Independent Review

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the Government plans to respond to the recommendations made in the Lammy Review, published on 8 September 2017.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Government is considering carefully all the recommendations made by David Lammy in his report and will respond in full, in due course. As part of my Department’s work stemming from the Race Disparity Audit published on 10 October we have confirmed that, in advance of our full response, we are able to accept four recommendations from the Review. These relate to the principle of “explain or change”, publishing more and better data on ethnicity, recruiting a more representative prison service workforce and developing indicators within prisons’ performance framework that allow us to assess the equality of outcomes for prisoners of all ethnicities.

Probation

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people are managed by community rehabilitation companies in each constituency in England and Wales.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Data on the number of offenders managed by each Community Rehabilitation Company is published each quarter, and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-management-statistics-quarterly. Data to provide a breakdown by constituency is not available. We have fundamentally reformed probation so that for the first time ever all offenders given a custodial sentence receive probation support. We remain in discussion with CRCs to ensure our ambitious reforms are delivered successfully.

Probation

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what contingency plans his Department has put in place in the event that a community rehabilitation company terminates its contract; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) contracts do not provide CRCs with an option to terminate the contract, but do require Exit Plans to be in place and maintained throughout the life of the contracts.

Youth Custody: Restraint Techniques

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 19 September 2017 to Question 10017, on youth custody: restraint techniques, how many injuries were sustained by young people in young offender institutions who were later transferred to mental health services in each year since 2010.

Dr Phillip Lee: The safety and welfare of young people held in custody is our highest priority. Restraint should only be used as a last resort, where there is a risk of harm to self or others, and no other form of intervention is possible or appropriate. The data provided in PQ 10017 is aggregate data, taken from the RPI data returns submitted by establishments. There is no unique identifier included in the returns that could be used to identify young people. We therefore are unable to determine which of these young people that sustained an injury may have transferred to a mental health unit.

Children: Restraint Techniques

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many incidents of restraint against children in young offender institutions there have been in each year since 2010.

Dr Phillip Lee: The safety and welfare of young people held in custody is our highest priority. Restraint is only ever used as a last resort, where there is a risk of harm, and no other form of intervention is possible or appropriate. Every incident of restraint is reviewed by the establishment, this includes looking at whether any lessons can be learned for the future.Minimising and Managing Physical Restraint (MMPR) has been specifically developed for use by staff working with young people in custody. MMPR provides a greater emphasis on managing challenging behaviour without resorting to restraint and also stresses the importance of accurate reporting to enable the ongoing analysis of its effectiveness. It also includes restraint techniques which have, for the first time, been assessed by an independent panel of medical and behaviour management experts, the Restraint Advisory Board.The table below shows data on the number of Incidents of Restrictive Physical Intervention (RPI) in each of the year since 2010 within the under 18 YOIs . RPI is defined as ‘’Any occasion when force is used with the intention of overpowering or to overpower a young person’’. Over power is defined as ‘’restricting movement or mobility. No of RPI incidents per year in YOIs20103,81620114,34420125,38820133,97220143,13220152,52020162,148Please note:Data on Restrictive Physical Interventions (RPI) are collected via summary level monthly returns. The data provided in this response has been derived from bespoke returns submitted to the Youth Justice Board by establishments. These data include some 18 year olds who remain in the under 18 YOIs. Data received from the establishments through monthly returns is validated through a reconciliation process on an annual basis. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.

Special Educational Needs: Appeals

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) applications and (b) awards of costs against local authorities in relation to tribunals involving SEND appeals have been made in each of the last five years.

Dominic Raab: The information requested is set out in the table below: Year1Number of cost applications made against local authoritiesNumber of cost applications granted201322102014351320154314201642122017 (to June)43121 January – December2 Three applications were awaiting a decision

Criminal Records: Disclosure of Information

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to consolidate responsibility for criminal records disclosure into a single department as recommended by the Justice Select Committee report on the disclosure of youth criminal records, published on 17 October 2017, HC 416.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Justice Select Committee published its report on the disclosure of youth criminal records on 27 October 2017. Government will look carefully at its recommendations and will publish a response in due course.

Community Rehabilitation Companies: Staff

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2017 to Question 109713, on staff: probation, what the minimum level of staffing required by each community rehabilitation company is to meet its obligations of a sufficient level of staff.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) contracts do not specify that CRCs must maintain staffing numbers at a particular level. However, the contracts do contain robust provisions requiring each CRC to ensure that it employs a sufficient level of competent and appropriately trained staff. We continue to closely monitor this as part of our contract management and assurance process.

Prisons: Construction

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2017 to Question 108880, how many of the 10,000 planned new prison places will be (a) additional places that increase the total number of prison places or (b) replacement places for older cells no longer deemed fit for use.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Government set out its ambition for a reformed prison estate in the November 2016 Prison Safety and Reform White Paper. Our reforms will close down ageing and ineffective prisons and replace them with buildings fit for today’s demands. Our new prison estate will create the physical conditions for Governors to achieve better educational, training and rehabilitation outcomes. They will be built on a new for old basis.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Historic Buildings

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many buildings sold by HM Courts and Tribunals Service since 2010 have been (a) listed with Historic England, (b) located in a conservation area and (c) classified as being of historic significance.

Dominic Raab: HM Courts & Tribunals Service (and prior to 2016 the Ministry of Justice) has sold (as at August 2017) 23 listed buildings since 2010. HM Courts & Tribunals Service has sold (as at August 2017) 17 courts that are located within or near a conservation area. Information regarding whether courts sold by the Ministry of Justice between 2010 and 2015 were located in conservation areas has not been recorded. HM Courts & Tribunals Service and the Ministry of Justice do not hold records relating to the historical significance of a court other than its listed status and whether it is situated in a conservation area.

Cabinet Office

Low Pay: North West

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of people in work in (a) Greater Manchester, (b) the North West and (c) Denton and Reddish constituency earn less than the full-time equivalent of the national living wage.

Chris Skidmore: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Prime Minister: Nurseries

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what childcare facilities 10 Downing Street makes available for its staff; how much 10 Downing Street spent (a) overall and (b) per child on those facilities in the last 12 months; and how many of 10 Downing Street's staff use those facilities.

Caroline Nokes: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Government Departments: Telephone Services

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department's 2013 guidance that ordered Departments to stop using higher-rate telephone lines for key services was ever revoked or updated.

Caroline Nokes: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Deloitte

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 2 November 2017 to Question 109984, in public sector: cybercrime, if he will meet representatives of Deloitte to discuss the need for more timely reporting to Government.

Damian Green: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Richard Burgon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total amount of funding allocated by the Government for legal representation to victims of the Grenfell Tower fire and their families was on 3 November 2017.

Caroline Nokes: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministers: Codes of Practice

Nic Dakin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Government Ministers are routinely accompanied by Government officials when they meet foreign government ministers and officials.

Damian Green: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Immigration: Kuwait

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of Kuwaiti Bidoons resident in the UK.

Chris Skidmore: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Government Contracts

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that 33 per cent of government contracts are given to small and medium-sized businesses by the end of the 2017 Parliament.

Caroline Nokes: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Charities: Grants

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure the accuracy of charity numbers data published by the Government Grant Information Service.

Caroline Nokes: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Government Departments: Grants

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Government Grant Information Service will standardise its use of the 360Giving format across all Government departments.

Caroline Nokes: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Companies: Ownership

Frank Field: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will set a deadline for the UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies to make public their central registers of beneficial ownership.

Damian Green: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.